Master Slave Husband Wife by IIlyon Woo is a historical narrative. It is the story of two slaves who escape, a couple of decades before the civil war. The wife looks white and the husband is black. They escape from the South by disguising themselves; she is the male owner of the black slave. So not only were they denying their slave status but also their roles as sex and race. Can you imagine what would have happened to them, if they were caught?
The story was a thriller, as they made the excruciating slow journey, from Georgia to Philadelphia. It took forever to travel from train to train and stay in hotels and dine with others who must have wondered if this couple were legit.
Anyway, once in Philadelphia, more thrills were encountered. Some southern sympathizers would have turned them in. And then some who just believed that you had to follow the law, immoral or not.
Eventually, the couple moved to Boston. Here were names of familiar people that we learn about, in history. I was surprised by Daniel Webster. He was not an abolitionist. He was not a southern sympathizer, either. He was one of those who believed that you should follow the law without question. He would go to arrest the couple, but rejoice because they escaped.
After Boston, they went to Canada and England. They settled in England, for quite a while, where they started their family.
After the Civil War, the family slowly made their way to the Carolinas and Georgia. There they were assimilated more or less, like we all were, and still attempt to do.
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