Textual Background and Context (Pages 410-531)

The piece I read was, Josiah Henson.
The life of Josiah Henson, he was an African American slave that wanted to gain freedom. Where he was living in Maryland, he escaped in order to get to Canada. In hopes to get the freedom he wanted. He shared his story of all his journeys and the people he met along the way. This essay connects to Uncle Tom's Cabin because Josiah Henson himself was the basis character of the making of Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom's Cabin. The things Josiah went through were very similar to the things that Tom experienced. This narration of Josiah Henson and what he went through in his life to obtain freedom shows a strong view on Dehumanization. The way Josiah and his family and the other slaves he met on the way were being treated was not how any human being should be treated. Josiah mentions meeting a male slave and a female slave, the male slave was in bad shape "but that of the female, compelled to perform unfit labor, sick, suffering, and bearing the burdens of her own sex unpitied and unaided" (Henson 429). He then talks about that " sometimes, when I have seen them starved and miserable, and unable to help themselves, I have helped them to some of the comforts which they were denied by him who owned them" (Henson 429). "Meat was not a part of the regular food, but my master had plenty of sheep and pigs" (Henson 429). He addresses at the end that trying to get food from people was difficult to do. No person should have to struggle to find food, or to worry that they will go to bed hungry. "I approached the first house I saw, and asked if they would sell me a little bread and meat. No, they had nothing for black fellows. At the next, I succeeded better, but had to make as good a bargain as I could, and that was not very successful. With a man who wanted to see how little he could give me for my quarter of a dollar" (Henson 434). I think its really sad that people find a sense of joy or pleasure in making a person who is desperate for food, to get little as possible for the little money they do have. At least they try to get food with the little money they have, and not try to steal it from someone. I am blessed to have food to eat, and blessed to not have people who treat me poorly like the people who treated Josiah Henson poorly. I couldn't imagine how it felt to live like that. Humans need food, and they also need freedom. The people in this essay were not treated like human beings.