{"id":61,"date":"2021-05-28T10:49:44","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T14:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/therefugee\/?post_type=chapter&p=61"},"modified":"2022-02-01T09:26:15","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T14:26:15","slug":"mrs-ellis","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/chapter\/mrs-ellis\/","title":{"raw":"Mrs. Ellis","rendered":"Mrs. Ellis"},"content":{"raw":"It is more than a year ago, that I left slavery in Delaware, having been thirty-two years a slave. I was treated tolerably well, compared with others. I was brought up in ignorance. I felt put down\u2014oppressed in spirit. I did a great deal of heavy out-door work,\u2014such as driving team, hauling manure, etc. I have been whipped with a wagon whip and with hickories,\u2014have been kicked and hit with fists. I have a bunch on my head from a blow my master gave me, and I shall carry it to my grave. I have had four children\u2014two died there, and two I brought with me.\r\n\r\nI thought I had paid my master for raising me, and I wanted some time of my own: and when he threatened to sell me, and keep my children, I left him. I got off without much trouble. I suffered a great deal from wet and cold, on the first part of the way\u2014afterwards, I was helped on by kind white men.\r\n\r\nRents and provisions are dear here, and it takes all I can earn to support myself and children. I could have one of my children well brought up and taken care of, by some friends in Massachusetts, which would much relieve me,\u2014but I cannot have my child go there on account of the laws, which would not protect her. This is a hardship: but had I to struggle much harder than at present, I would prefer it to being a slave, Now, I can lie down at night in peace,\u2014there I had no peace even at night, on account of my master's conduct.\r\n\r\nSlavery is a wicked institution. I think if the whites were to free the slaves, they would incur no danger. I think the colored people would go to work without any trouble.","rendered":"

It is more than a year ago, that I left slavery in Delaware, having been thirty-two years a slave. I was treated tolerably well, compared with others. I was brought up in ignorance. I felt put down\u2014oppressed in spirit. I did a great deal of heavy out-door work,\u2014such as driving team, hauling manure, etc. I have been whipped with a wagon whip and with hickories,\u2014have been kicked and hit with fists. I have a bunch on my head from a blow my master gave me, and I shall carry it to my grave. I have had four children\u2014two died there, and two I brought with me.<\/p>\n

I thought I had paid my master for raising me, and I wanted some time of my own: and when he threatened to sell me, and keep my children, I left him. I got off without much trouble. I suffered a great deal from wet and cold, on the first part of the way\u2014afterwards, I was helped on by kind white men.<\/p>\n

Rents and provisions are dear here, and it takes all I can earn to support myself and children. I could have one of my children well brought up and taken care of, by some friends in Massachusetts, which would much relieve me,\u2014but I cannot have my child go there on account of the laws, which would not protect her. This is a hardship: but had I to struggle much harder than at present, I would prefer it to being a slave, Now, I can lie down at night in peace,\u2014there I had no peace even at night, on account of my master’s conduct.<\/p>\n

Slavery is a wicked institution. I think if the whites were to free the slaves, they would incur no danger. I think the colored people would go to work without any trouble.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":12,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-61","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":35,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/61","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/61\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":332,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/61\/revisions\/332"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/35"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/61\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=61"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=61"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/therefugee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=61"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}