My Father’s Legacy of Courage
(Josiah Henson’s memories of his father’s devastating experiences inslavery)
by Ann Ruegsegger, links by Ann Ruegsegger
My family was torn apart by sufferings and death at the hands of slave owners. Tragic events from my childhood are emblazoned in my memory, never to be forgotten. The cruel acts of brutal men gave birth to rage and bitterness within my soul, that later gave way to forgiveness and peace under the guiding instruction of God’s sovereign purposes.
My mother was a slave of Dr. McPherson, but hired to Mr. Newman, to whom my father belonged, in Charles County, Maryland. The only incident that I remember while my mother still worked on Newman’s farm is the sight of my father with his bloody head and lacerated back. My father was filled with rage and agony. I stood there in shock and anger, not knowing what I should do. The explanations that I heard from various conversations only gave part of the story, but as I grew older I learned about the whole heartless incident.
Mr. Newman had sent my mother to different fields that day and became hostile and forceful with her. Her screams of agony aroused my father at his distant location, and he immediately stopped what he was doing and sprinted to rescue his wife. When he arrived, he found the master forcing himself on my mother. Enraged at the sight and desperate to protect his wife, my father sprang upon the master with great intensity, and desired to kill him. Due to the pleas of my mother and the promises of the master that nothing would be reported of the incident, he stopped.
The master’s promise was kept as long as the threat against him still remained. The laws of the slave states did not protect the slaves from the cruel treatment of their masters, nor did it make provision for slaves to protect themselves. If news of this incident had traveled around the area, it would have put the whole county in an uproar. As soon as the master thought it was safe to report the attack against him, the authorities were in pursuit of my father. This "sacrilegious" act of a black man striking a white man’s body, which was a sacred temple, would result in a gruesome penalty. This penalty was known by all, and it consisted of the following acts: one hundred lashes on the bare back, and having the right ear nailed to a post, then severed from the body.
To avoid this punishment, my father escaped into the forest, and at night he would venture into slave cabins seeking something to eat. Soon the strict watch for him terminated all his efforts. As he sat in the woods starving for food and comfort, he was compelled by hunger to return and give himself up. Desperation led him to save his beloved wife, and desperation led him back home to face the brutal penalty.
After the cruel act of punishment, my father was sold to another slave owner in Alabama. My mother and I never learned the fate of my heroic father. My mother came back to Dr. McPherson’s estate, and he took special care of my mother and her six children. I had been the first negro-child born to him at his estate, so he gave me his Christian name, Josiah, and he gave me my last name, Henson, after an uncle of his, who was an officer in the Revolutionary War. These are some of the few happy memories that I have from my life.
The memories that remain in my mind from those early days are not all related to some of my fondest reflections, but I now have the confidence that God is the Almighty Provider. After my father was sold by Newman, the Lord allowed the rest of my family to be together with the Doctor, who was far kinder to his slaves than the planters generally were. He never allowed any of us to be struck by any one. I am deeply grateful for the assurance that I have in my heart that I will be able to see my heroic father on the Great Day that will bring us together forever.
For a history of slavery
To look at abolishionists that Josiah may have met such as Frederick Douglas, John Brown, William Lloyd Garrison, and Horace Greeley.
QUESTIONS:
- What was the penalty for the actions of Josiah’s father?
- From whom did Josiah receive his name?
- What were the two acts of desperation that Josiah’s father demonstrated?
- What do you think Josiah meant when he said, "That would send the whole county in an uproar"?
- How would you feel if you witnessed your father having had similar experiences as those of Josiah’s father?
- Would you "warm up" to Dr. McPherson after growing up with the "white man" being brutal to you and your family? Describe your feelings and reasoning in a few sentences.
OUTLINE:
I. Introduction
A. Memories
B. Lessons
II Father
- Master
- Desperation
- Rescue
- Search
- Starvation
- Desperation
- Penalty
- Pain
- Alabama
- Memories
- Find
- Hope
PROPS:
- Farm hat
- Whip
ANSWERS:
- 100 lashes on back and right ear cut off
- Dr. McPherson
- Saving his wife and starvation
- Answers will vary
- Answers will vary
- Answers will vary
SOURCE:
Bayliss, John F. Black Slave Narratives. London: MacMillan Co., 1970.