Twenty-Two Years a Slave - And Forty Years a Freeman

Austin Steward (1793-1869) was an African-American author and abolitionist. Born into slavery, he managed to escape from Virginia aged 21 and moved to Rochester, New York before settling in Canada. "e;Twenty-Two Years a Slave - And Forty Years a Freeman"e; is Steward's astonishing 1856 autobiography within which he recounts the travails of his harrowing life as a slave in America, as well as his experiences as a free man. A compelling and heart-breaking slave narrative that will appeal to those with an interest in this dark chapter of American history. Contents include: "e;Slave Life on the Plantation"e;, "e;At the Great House"e;, "e;Horse-Racing and its Consequences"e;, "e;Journey to our New Home in New York"e;, "e;Incidents at Sodus Bay"e;, "e;Removal from Sodus to Bath"e;, "e;Dueling"e;, "e;Horse-Racing and General Training"e;, "e;Death Bed and Bridal Scenes"e;, "e;Hired out to a New Master"e;, etc. Read & Co. History is proud to be republishing this classic memoir now in a new edition with an introductory poem by Phillis Wheatley.