The spectacular 1848 escape of William and Ellen Craft (1824-1900; 1826-1891) from slavery in Macon is a dramatic story in the annals of American history.
Ellen, who could pass for white, disguised herself as a gentleman slaveholder; William accompanied her as his “master’s” devoted slave valet; both traveled openly by train, steamship and carriage to arrive in free Philadelphia on Christmas Day.
In Love, Liberation, and Escaping Slavery, Barbara McCaskill, an associate professor of English in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, revisits the couple’s escape and examines the collaborations and partnerships that characterized the Crafts’ activism for the next 30 years: in Boston, where they were on the run again after the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law; in England; and in Reconstruction-era Georgia.
A book signing and lecture by McCaskill will be held Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. at Cine BarCafe Cinema, which is located at 234 W. Hancock Ave.
