Ilyon Woo

In 1848, William and Ellen Craft embarked on a epic journey "of self-emancipation" from Macon, GA to Philly to Canada to England. The Crafts achieved several recorded "firsts" in their flight to freedom, completely subverting all societal expectations. Instead of traveling separately, they moved together as master and slave, with Ellen in disguise and "passing" for a wealthy white gentleman. This meant mingling and being accosted by those who wouldn't hesitate to sell fair-skinned Ellen into show more sexual slavery and torture or kill William. "Her success exposed the hypocrisy of her world" as self-proclaimed experts were fooled. The fear and anxiety is palpable until they reach Philadelphia, but even then it isn't safe. They moved along the Underground Railroad, still in its infancy, until circumstances drove them across the Atlantic. But they never forgot those left behind, especially their dear, enslaved mothers.

I'm glad I read "A Plausible Man" first because Ashton actually mentioned the Crafts, and Jackson followed a similar route if not by the same means. But one core lesson you will learn from this is, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 such a thing as a "good master." The "generous Christian" will sell off a man's wife and children, never to be seen again. A "kindly mistress" will deny her maid a visit to a dying relative and punish any disobedience. They will hunt, they will chase, and they will make an example of their "property." Woo does not hold back on the horrors of slavery, or how fugitives often had to prove themselves up North. Lecturers, like the Crafts, had to be "worthy" of sponsorship, and be vetted first to "sell" themselves to an audience. This book was incredible, and I hope you all get a chance to read it! show less

[Master Slave Husband Wife] is an interesting look at one couple's journey from being enslaved in Georgia in the 1800s through their escape and life after slavery. William and Ellen Craft are enslaved in Macon, Georgia. They are both highly skilled, William in cabinet-making and Ellen as a seamstress and house maid. They are owned by different people, but have enough range of motion because of their skills that they meet and fall in love. They both have experienced losing family members as show more they are sold to different owners and decide that their only path forward is to attempt escape. They come up with an ingenious idea in 1848, before the Underground Railroad is in full swing. Ellen, who looks white, will dress as a wealthy white man, also feigning illness to help keep her distance from others. William will travel as "his" slave. They say they are traveling to Philadelphia for medical treatment. The first third of the book details their escape.

Next they try to settle in Boston, but the Fugitive Slave Act, which allows enslavers to reclaim their "property" in the North puts them in peril. They have been highly visible, telling their story of escape to abolitionist groups. They try to continue this work in the North, but have to flee to England. There they continue telling their story and begin to settle, starting a family. After the Civil War, they return to the U.S., but, as we all know, the Civil War and emancipation did not mean life was all of a sudden easy or fair for Black Americans.

This book does a great job of telling Ellen and William Craft's story and including the politics of the time and other famous figures without overshadowing their lives. I found it fascinating and readable. show less

This is one of those special books that most likely won’t have a wide audience because the main subjects of the book, Ellen and William Craft, are obscure players in the slave story. Their story, nonetheless, is every bit as important and interesting as any story of slaves who ran to their freedom. In fact, their story is more exciting than most because of the clever nature of their scheme. Enough said. Read for yourself to hear what the scheme entailed. The only thing that bothered me show more about this book is the amount of language like “could have,” “might have,” since much of what Woo reports is speculative, some of it with little evidence that it actually happened. That is the nature of historical nonfiction these days. I guess it’s what is required to make sure readers keep turning the pages. That said, this is definitely an important history book, one well worth the time to read it. show less

I first heard the Crafts’ story as a student in American History class in a South Carolina high school. My teacher shared how the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was first tested with a couple in Boston who recently escaped slavery. Mass protests made a mockery of the enslavers’ efforts, the Crafts eluded capture by escaping, and the slave-catchers returned to Georgia empty-handed. I remember that the story seemed more complicated than that, but even then, I did not pick up the nuances. show more Twenty-five years later, I reencountered the Crafts in Woo’s biography, and I learned their full story. Boy, I am grateful that I did so because it enlightened, entertained, and inspired me in many ways.

William and Ellen Craft were born as enslaved people in early nineteenth-century Georgia. They met in Macon as adults. Ellen is nearly white in complexion, but by the “one-drop rule,” having one black parent made her black. By Georgia law, she was “owned” by her father. Both William and Ellen became skilled artisans, but earned money only for their “masters.” After falling in love, they plotted their escape. Ellen, a skilled seamstress, would dress as a privileged white man and leave Macon on a train, with William in tow appearing as her slave.

They went from Macon, to Savannah, Charleston, Baltimore, and eventually Philadelphia, with many humorous yet frightening experiences along the way. They eventually ended up on the lecture circuit across New England in the late 1840s before settling in Boston. In the US Congress, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was formulated as a compromise between North and South. By federal law, Northern states would now have to allow slave-catchers freedom to re-enslave their “property.” The Crafts would be the first test case of Northern will.

In Boston, a mob of free blacks, many with arms and sworn to fight to the death, encountered these Southern slave-catchers. After several days of getting the run-around, the hunters returned to Georgia unsuccessfully while the Crafts fled to Canada en route to Liverpool, England. They toured England on the lecture circuit, were formally educated how to read and write, and started a family. They continued to speak out against slavery and celebrated its ending in America in the 1860s.

Kudos to Woo for revamping this story for the reading public! Anyone sympathetic to the human plight for freedom will find themselves in this book, especially students of history. Those engaged in professions of history, especially on the Eastern seaboard, will benefit from understanding how the culture of the original 13 colonies formed itself in America’s early years. We’ve been recently reminded that American history isn’t as far past as we might like to think, and this book can teach us how human ignorance and national politics can imprison us all. Thus, this book can help convey a sense of social justice in our present and future. Ellen and William Craft form noble – but sometimes tragic – heroes with creative, unique, entertaining stories. Their stories need to be known more widely, and Woo is a more-than-suitable translator for us today. show less