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Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo – book cover

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom

By Ilyon Woo

Biographies and Memoirs

In December 1848, a young enslaved couple named Ellen and William Craft traveled openly by rail, coach and steamship from Macon, Georgia, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ellen, who passed for white, disguised herself as a wealthy disabled man, with William as…

Release Date
2024
Length
432 pages
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
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Our Review

In December 1848, a young enslaved couple named Ellen and William Craft traveled openly by rail, coach and steamship from Macon, Georgia, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ellen, who passed for white, disguised herself as a wealthy disabled man, with William as "his" slave. Woo follows their journey north, and in joining the abolitionist lecture circuit. When the new Fugitive Slave Law in 1850 put them at risk, they fled from the United States. Their very existence challenged the nation's core precepts of life, liberty, and justice for all. — Adapted from jacket.