Henry Box Brown

Henry " Box" Brown (1815 - after 1878) was a slave of Virginia, with the the United States and is famous to have fled her statute of slave locked up voluntarily in a postal parcel sent towards the free trade State of Pennsylvania in the north of the country.

Biography

Henry Brown was born slave in 1815 in the county from Louisa, in Virginia. In 1830, it is sent to Richmond to work in a factory of Tabac. It Marie then with another slave, Nancy, with which he has at least three children. Brown uses her wages to pay the Master of Nancy for time that it passes near her children. But in 1848, his wife and her children are sold to a merchant of slave and envoys in North Carolina, without Henry Brown not being able to it to be opposed.

Consequently, Henry Brown is decided to gain his freedom. With the assistance of a friend, freed the James A.C. Smith and a white sympathizer who exerted the trade of shoe-maker, named Samuel Smith, Brown a plan develops to be done itself to send in a box by post way, making pass the parcel for sending of usual food products. Brown pays then Samuel Smith with the money accumulated by a baited work, which had contacted the abolitionist of Philadelphia James Miller McKim. McKim agreed to receive the box. Brown is locked up in a box of wood and envoy of Richmond bound for Philadelphia, which represents a voyage 442 kilometers. The box measures 1,50 meters of depth, 1,20 meters broad and less than one meter length; Brown measures 1,73 meters and weighs 91 kg. During the voyage, which begins on March 23rd, 1849, the box of Brown forwards in several ways: carriage, then railway, then steamer, then carriage, then railway, on a ferry, then railway and finally by carriage of delivery. On several occasions the warehousemen place the box at back or handle violently it, but Brown remains impassive and never does not betray its presence. Thanks to the chance and with her strength of character, Brown endures the voyage 26 long hours.

On arrival, the box containing Brown is received by Miller McKim, William Still and other members of the " Committee of vigilance of Philadelphie". When Brown is released, he pronounces this famous sentence that one of the people present pays: " How are you, Sirs? " He sings a selected Psaume then drawn from the Bible for the occasion.

Henry Brown becomes a famous spokesperson of the Company against slavery ( Anti-Slavery Society ). Him the nickname of " is given; Box" (box) at convention against the slavery of Boston, in May 1849, following what it used from now on the name of Henry Box Brown. It publishes two versions of its autobiography, the first in Boston in 1849 and the second in England in 1851, Récit of the life of Henry Box Brown ( Narrative off the Life off Henry Box Brown ). Brown organizes the exhibition of a moving panorama entitled " Mirror of the esclavage" in the North-East of the United States before being obliged to emigrate in England, following the adoption of the law on the fugitive slaves (the Fugitive Slavic Law ). Brown makes the turn of England with her panorama anti-slavery during the ten years which follow, which is held several hundreds of times per annum and almost visiting all the cities for this period.

Brown occurs in the English spectacles during 25 years, until 1875. In the years 1860, it starts by playing the part of a mesmerist, then little time afterwards as conjurer, under the names of scene Prof H. Box Brown and the African Prince. It Marie one second time and founds a new family. In 1875, it goes back to the United States with a family part on the magic.

In 1997, Brown was the subject of a part of Tony Kushner entitled Henry Box Brown gold the Mirror off Slavery .

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