The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave by Mary Prince
"The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave" by Mary Prince is a historical account written in the early 19th century. This narrative, one of the first autobiographies by a Black woman in the British empire, details Prince's harrowing experiences as a slave in the Caribbean. It addresses themes of the brutal realities of slavery, the bonds of family, and the quest for freedom, centering around Prince's own traumatic life story.
The opening of the narrative begins with Mary Prince recounting her early life in Bermuda, where she was born into slavery. She describes her initial happiness as a young girl cared for by a kind mistress, contrasted sharply with the harsh realities that would soon follow her separation from family and the progression of abuse she faced from various slave owners. As she is passed from one master to another, Prince's stories evoke intense emotions as they highlight the systemic cruelty of slavery—enduring brutal whippings, being sold away from her family, and witnessing the suffering of fellow slaves. Her narrative serves as a powerful testimony to the resilience of the human spirit amidst dehumanizing circumstances, setting the tone for the rest of her account as she strives for recognition of her humanity and the quest for freedom. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Prince, Mary, 1788?-1833 |
|---|---|
| Title | The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave |
| Note | Reading ease score: 74.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Credits |
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | HT: Social sciences: Communities, Classes, Races |
| Subject | Slavery -- West Indies |
| Subject | Prince, Mary |
| Subject | Fugitive slaves -- West Indies -- Biography |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 17851 |
| Release Date | Feb 24, 2006 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 940 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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