Now I Know: The Slave Who Shipped Himself to Freedom

This is a rerun from 2012 -- the event happened today in 1849. -- Dan
 

The Slave Who Shipped Himself to Freedom

In 1848, Henry Brown was a 30-something-year-old slave. For nearly two decades prior, he worked on a plantation in Virginia, where he’d meet his wife and, with her, have three children. But one day that year, the plantation owner sold Brown’s wife and children to another slave owner, and Brown could do nothing to stop it.

In March of the subsequent year, Brown decided he wanted out — out of the plantation, out of slavery, and out of the American South. With about $160 to his name and a legal climate unconducive to his hopes, Brown needed to get creative. While many American slaves viewed the Underground Railroad as a means to freedom, Brown decided to go a different route — the regular, above-ground, actual-railway railroad. All he needed was a little help and a very big crate. Because on March 23, 1849, Henry Brown shipped himself to life as a free man.

Brown gave about half of his wealth — $86 — to a Southerner sympathetic to the abolitionist cause named James C. A. Smith. Smith, in turn, contacted a man named James Miller McKim, a Presbyterian minister in Philadelphia who was a leader in the movement. McKim agreed to receive a package from Smith which, if everything went right, would contain Brown. Brown intentionally burned his hand with sulfuric acid in order to miss out on work and, instead, entered the crate. Over the next 27 hours, he was in the custody of the Adams Express Company (now an investment fund, then a shipping company) as he, in the crate, made his way from Richmond to Philly. Over the course of his journey, he’d go by wagon three times, rail three times, and ferry and steamboat once each. But in the end, he emerged, alive and free.

As one would expect, Brown became an icon for the anti-slavery movement — but, that, too, was fleeting. Noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass was publicly upset with Brown for publicizing his escape route; Douglass believed that by revealing his method, Brown prevented others from following suit. But more importantly, in September of 1850, the United States passed the Fugitive Slave Act, requiring that any runaway slaves be brought back to their slave masters. Brown fled to England and became a traveling showman. While he returned to the United States after the Civil War, he did so without any meaningful notoriety — the details of his death are unknown today.



Now I Know is supported by readers like you. Please consider becoming a patron by supporting the project on Patreon. 

Click here to pledge your support. (If you do, in gratitude, you'll have an ad-free Now I Know experience going forward.)

Bonus fact: Henry Brown isn’t the only person who mailed himself to freedom. As reported by the BBC, in 2008, a man serving a seven-year jail sentence in Germany couriered himself outside the prison walls. Once he was outside the gates, he climbed out of the box and escaped. The jail’s warden admitted that they were unable to find him after.

From the Archives: Pole Position: The bonus fact features another person who tried to mail himself.
Like today's Now I Know? Share it with a friend -- just forward this email along.
And if someone forwarded this to you, consider signing up! Just click here.
Share Share
Tweet Tweet
Forward Forward
Archives · Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Now I Know LLC, All rights reserved.
You opted in, at http://NowIKnow.com via a contest, giveaway, or the like -- or you wouldn't get this email.

Now I Know is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Some images above via Wikipedia.

Now I Know's mailing address is:
Now I Know LLC
P.O. Box 536
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549-9998

Add us to your address book


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your email address or unsubscribe from this list

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp

Key phrases

Older messages

Now I Know: A Cute Way to Prevent Traffic Deaths

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Meet Xiaolüren (and his family) View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives The "From the Archives" story today is about one of my absolute favorite fun facts. -- Dan A

Now I Know: Why Movie Theaters Have Red Seats

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Well, most of them. View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives I know not all theaters have red seats, but given the below, maybe they should! -- Dan Why Movie Theaters Have Red

Now I Know: The Problem With Living in the Center of America

Monday, March 20, 2023

37N 98W or Fight? View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives Hope you had a good weekend! -- Dan The Problem With Living in the Center of America Not many people live in Butler

Now I Know: Yes, I Called Julius Caesar a Greek. Oops.

Friday, March 17, 2023

And an article about a race. View this email in your browser · Missed an issue? Click here! If you're new to Now I Know, you'll notice that today's format is different than the rest of the

Now I Know: I Guess You Could Say They... Excel

Thursday, March 16, 2023

I can't even type out a SUM(A1:A3) without a typo View this email in your browser · Missed one? Visit the Archives Happy Ides of March, unless you're a Greek emperor, in which case, you may

You Might Also Like

It's Q2: Time to build

Thursday, March 28, 2024

When people ask what Copywriting Course is, I have to explain it's actually a series of courses. It's like a tote bag that comes with a bunch of items: ​ You don't become a world-class

• Email marketing for authors + posts to 100K FB Group readers + Tweets

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Reserve your date... Email Marketing for Authors by ContentMo enable images to see this "Books of the Day" Promotions for Authors and Publishers with Social Media Extras! Dates Fill Up Fast,

How Scrum Teams Fail Stakeholders

Thursday, March 28, 2024

From Overpromising Results to Neglecting Feedback ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Notice What Repeats

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Your recurring ideas reveal how you think and who you are. If you find a pattern in your insights, let it be a sign of what you need to write about. View in browser Write of Passage logo transparent-1

🔥 How to: Land a front-end job

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Landing a front-end job is hard. We've had an open position at my company for about 3 weeks now, and it's gotten almost 100 applicants. That's a lot of competition, no matter how good of a

Ex-technology companies. @ Irrational Exuberance

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Hi folks, This is the weekly digest for my blog, Irrational Exuberance. Reach out with thoughts on Twitter at @lethain, or reply to this email. Posts from this week: - Ex-technology companies. Ex-

How to Measure the Bug Population (Without Even Trying)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Introducing the “Splatometer” ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Authors • 6 tweets/day • 33 days of Book tweets •  •  affordable rates

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Tweeted 6 times daily for 33 days only $33 Logo ContentMo Tweets Your Book to Our Twitter Followers Each Day We TWEET Your Book for 33 Days, 6 Times/Day = 198 tweets Please enable images to view this

🤝 The best way to kick off due diligence?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Plus: The best links from around Main Street, biz-buyer data you need to see, and more... Hey Biz-Buyers, This is where we share some of the best insights, tips, and stories from Main Street and our

Google Trust Signals Demystified

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Unlock the secrets of Google Trust Signals, improve your site's SEO, and get a ranking boost Hi Reader, Are you struggling to improve your website rankings? Trust signals might be the missing piece