Prince Among Slaves
“Prince Among Slaves” is a true story about Abd al Rahman Ibrahima, an African Muslin prince from Futa Jalon, West Africa, who was captured in battle and sold into slavery in the United States. The prince was not an ordinary slave, but one who used the American system to gain his freedom after 40 years. The prince was granted special privileges over the other slaves because he was highly educated, had leadership abilities, and knowledge about crops such as cotton.
In 1788, at the age of 26, the prince was captured in an ambush when returning home after a successful campaign against a rival nation. He was then sold to a British slaver, named Captain Nevin, for a few muskets and rum. Captain Nevin loaded the prince …show more content…
A struggling Mississippi farmer named Thomas Foster purchased the prince and another slave. Foster hoped these strong Africans would help establish his farm. On several occasions, the prince tried to tell Foster he was a prince of a powerful king of West Africa, who would pay mightily for his sons return. Foster paid no attention to the prince’s pleas. Foster then cut the princes long hair, which was a sign of great beauty. This was more than humiliating to the prince. The haircut was “…something very close to the haircut of a Pullo child” (Alford pp 44).
The Prince was put to work clearing the Fosters tobacco fields. This was mortifying to the prince, because the Fulbe people were “full of honor and distain at manual labor.” Therefore, one night the prince escaped from the Fosters farm. After several weeks on the run, the prince realized he had nowhere to go and returned to the Fosters farm. Foster was completely astonished a slave would return after escaping, therefore, he did not punish the prince.
The prince soon realized he needed to adapt to his new environment and learned to speak English. Foster took note of the prince’s abilities and soon put him in charge of training the slaves on how to farm
“Prince Among Slaves” is a true story about Abd al Rahman Ibrahima, an African Muslin prince from Futa Jalon, West Africa, who was captured in battle and sold into slavery in the United States. The prince was not an ordinary slave, but one who used the American system to gain his freedom after 40 years. The prince was granted special privileges over the other slaves because he was highly educated, had leadership abilities, and knowledge about crops such as cotton.
In 1788, at the age of 26, the prince was captured in an ambush when returning home after a successful campaign against a rival nation. He was then sold to a British slaver, named Captain Nevin, for a few muskets and rum. Captain Nevin loaded the prince …show more content…
A struggling Mississippi farmer named Thomas Foster purchased the prince and another slave. Foster hoped these strong Africans would help establish his farm. On several occasions, the prince tried to tell Foster he was a prince of a powerful king of West Africa, who would pay mightily for his sons return. Foster paid no attention to the prince’s pleas. Foster then cut the princes long hair, which was a sign of great beauty. This was more than humiliating to the prince. The haircut was “…something very close to the haircut of a Pullo child” (Alford pp 44).
The Prince was put to work clearing the Fosters tobacco fields. This was mortifying to the prince, because the Fulbe people were “full of honor and distain at manual labor.” Therefore, one night the prince escaped from the Fosters farm. After several weeks on the run, the prince realized he had nowhere to go and returned to the Fosters farm. Foster was completely astonished a slave would return after escaping, therefore, he did not punish the prince.
The prince soon realized he needed to adapt to his new environment and learned to speak English. Foster took note of the prince’s abilities and soon put him in charge of training the slaves on how to farm