John Andrew Jackson was an American
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
in the nineteenth century. He was born into
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
on a country
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
in
Sumter County, South Carolina. His escape north to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
may have been one of many slave experiences that inspired
Harriet Beecher Stowe's ''
Uncle Tom's Cabin
''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...
''. During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, Jackson published ''The Experience of a Slave in South Carolina'' (1862) while in Great Britain.
Early life
Jackson had a condescending relationship with his owner and mistress, as many slaves did, although he was the primary object of their
ire
Ire or IRE may refer to:
Ire
* Extreme anger; intense fury
* Irē, the Livonian name for Mazirbe, Latvia
* A town in Oye, Nigeria
* ''Ire'' (album), a 2015 album by the Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive
* Ire (Iliad), a town mentioned in ...
. He grew up surrounded by brutality. For example, his master would whip Jackson for his disobedience. Jackson's first job was being a scarecrow in the cornfields. He would stand every day posing as a scarecrow in the hot Carolina fields. When he was older, he was ordered to manage the plow but, due to his lack of strength, he was unable to manage the plow effectively. Despite this, he attracted a woman named Louisa Clifton, who later became his wife.
Family
Louisa lived on the
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
about a mile away. Jackson and Louisa were unofficially married and had two children. He was prohibited from visiting his wife and children, but would often sneak out to be with his family. Jackson would be whipped, but persisted and continued to see his wife and children until his wife's master moved to
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. His mother, Betty, and father, John Andrew (known as Dr. Clavern) had 10 children, although 2 died before he escaped in 1846. In 1846, after separation from his family, he fled slavery. Later, after he escaped to Canada and remarried but, his second wife died in an asylum. Jackson married for the third time and had two more children.
Escape
As a child, the idea of freedom became more important to Jackson. One day, he bought a
pony
A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
from one of the slaves on a neighbouring plantation. When the mistress found out, she threatened to have the pony killed. Hearing of the mistress's plan, Jackson hid the pony until
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
. On
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
, Jackson took his pony and escaped from his plantation, never to see his parents again. As he rode to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Jackson met many white people who asked where he was going. Jackson would respond by saying that he was on his way to his plantation. Eventually, he arrived at the
Santa Fe River where he boarded a small ship run by a black man. Jackson and his pony were dropped near land but had to struggle upstream to reach it. After almost drowning, Jackson and his pony made it to shore.
Jackson learned about the badge that all
African Americans had to produce to prove they were allowed to be free. Not having a badge, he sold his pony to buy a
cloak
A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Cloaks have been and ...
to hide from patrolmen. The cloak worked to his advantage until he was able to find a ship to Boston. He tried to board but, the crewmen refused, afraid that he was working for a white man and trying to set them up. In response, Jackson hid in a box that was loaded onto the ship's hold. Eventually, the crewmen found him and threatened to unload him on the next ship. There never was another ship and John made it to Boston safely.
From Boston, Jackson went on to settle in
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
. Once settled, he sought to purchase his family members still enslaved. He sent a letter to inquire about his family, and shortly after it was received, a slave agent was sent to search for him. Jackson avoided capture and was assisted by
Harriet Beecher Stowe, who gave him food, clothes, and five dollars. He later left Salem for Canada.
Freedom
In Salem, Jackson was free but not safe. He worked as a
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...
tanner and part-time
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
operator until the passage of the
Fugitive Slave Law
The fugitive slave laws were laws passed by the United States Congress in 1793 and 1850 to provide for the return of enslaved people who escaped from one state into another state or territory. The idea of the fugitive slave law was derived from ...
which rekindled his fear of being returned to slavery. Jackson then escaped across the border to Canada.
Once in Canada, John Andrew settled in
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...
. He legally remarried and had more children.
Still seeking to purchase his enslaved family members, he journeyed to
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
with his wife to solicit contributions. He lectured in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
with several others, including David Guthrie,
Rev. Thomas Candlish, and
Julia Griffiths.
John Andrew and his wife lived in
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
until after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
ended. Eventually, they returned to live in
Springfield, Massachusetts. He travelled back and forth to South Carolina for many years trying to help the
freedmen
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...
of
Sumter County.
References
* Jackson, John Andrew. "The Experience of a Slave in South Carolina: Electronic Edition". University Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 28 November 2008 http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/jackson/jackson.htm
* From the Black Abolitionist Papers: Vol. I: The British Isles, 1830-1865 edited by C. Peter Ripley, et al. Copyright (c) 1992 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. www.uncpress.unc.edu
Susanna Ashton, "'A Genuine Article': Harriet Beecher Stowe and John Andrew Jackson," Common-Place 13-4 (Summer 2013)
*Thomas, Rhondda R. & Ashton, Susanna, eds. (2014)
Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. "John Andrew Jackson (c. 1825-c. 1896)," p. 53-56.
External links
London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1862.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, John Andrew
19th-century American slaves
People from Sumter County, South Carolina
People who wrote slave narratives