Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
@freedomseekers.bsky.social
820 followers 160 following 92 posts
A growing resource of short stories of enslaved people who attempted to seize their freedom by escaping. Based at UW-Madison, partnered with scholars and institutions all over. Discover more at www.freedom-seekers.org
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Reposted by Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
freedomseekers.bsky.social
James Williams was an enslaved man from Virginia who escaped while docked in London to join Britain’s 4th Dragoons regiment as a drummer.

Morgan Byerley’s bold telling of James’ story was another 2024 Anansi Prize winner. Read the full story: freedom-seekers.org/story/james-...
Newspaper advertisement for a freedom seeker named James Williams
freedomseekers.bsky.social
Today we honor National #IndigenousPeoplesDay. Explore our growing collection of stories of Indigenous freedom seekers who escaped slavery during the Revolutionary era: freedom-seekers.org/search-stori...
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freedom-seekers.org
freedomseekers.bsky.social
James Williams was an enslaved man from Virginia who escaped while docked in London to join Britain’s 4th Dragoons regiment as a drummer.

Morgan Byerley’s bold telling of James’ story was another 2024 Anansi Prize winner. Read the full story: freedom-seekers.org/story/james-...
Newspaper advertisement for a freedom seeker named James Williams
Reposted by Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
freedomseekers.bsky.social
CONGRATULATIONS to our own Gloria Whiting 🎉 Her book, “Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England” is one of four finalists for the 2025 Frederick Douglass Prize! Congrats to Gloria and all this years finalists!

macmillan.yale.edu/glc/stories/...
Yale Announces 2025 Frederick Douglass Book Prize Finalists
macmillan.yale.edu
freedomseekers.bsky.social
CONGRATULATIONS to our own Gloria Whiting 🎉 Her book, “Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England” is one of four finalists for the 2025 Frederick Douglass Prize! Congrats to Gloria and all this years finalists!

macmillan.yale.edu/glc/stories/...
Yale Announces 2025 Frederick Douglass Book Prize Finalists
macmillan.yale.edu
freedomseekers.bsky.social
After dressing for the evening in her heeled shoes and red jacket, Sall slipped out of the house of her enslaver.

Sall’s incredible story, as told by Olivia Barnard, won one of our 2024 Anansi Prizes.

Read Sall’s story and learn more about the Anansi Prize: freedom-seekers.org/story/sall-m...
Newspaper clip of runaway advertisement for an enslaved girl named Sall
freedomseekers.bsky.social
It was an exceptionally hot summer day when an enslaved man named Dick fled Albany, New York, in August of 1796. Read @acmosterman.bsky.social’s incredible recovery of Dick’s life here: freedom-seekers.org/story/dick/
freedomseekers.bsky.social
Introducing a new way to explore our freedom seeker stories! Check out our brand new interactive map: freedom-seekers.org/map/
Screenshot of the interactive map available at freedom-seekers.org
freedomseekers.bsky.social
Even more than most freedom seekers, Caesar showed incredible determination to liberate himself. Although missing both of his legs, he nevertheless escaped his enslaver via the Chestnut River. Read Billy G. Smith’s telling of Caesar’s story here: freedom-seekers.org/story/caesar/
freedomseekers.bsky.social
His enslavers called him Ishmael. He escaped bondage in December 1760 after spending more than a quarter-century enslaved to one of New London’s most prominent families. Read his story here: freedom-seekers.org/story/ishmae...
freedomseekers.bsky.social
Check out @simonatmadison.bsky.social’s latest, the story of Bob, a 14 year-old Indigenous boy from North America who was determined to escape enslavement in 18th century Glasgow. Link: freedom-seekers.org/story/bob-se...
Runaway advertisement from an 18th century newspaper for a freedom seeker named Bob
Reposted by Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
afamuw.bsky.social
Hear Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara discuss her research on race-based slavery, Black settlement, abolition, and Black rights in the 18th and 19th century Midwest on The Journal of American History podcast.
Reposted by Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
marcusrediker.bsky.social
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 10:30 am, I'll give a talk/workshop at Johns Hopkins entitled "How to Write (Maritime) History from Below." The event is sponsored by the Tidewater Initiative and the Maritime Committee of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Join us!

sites.krieger.jhu.edu/tidewater/ev...
freedomseekers.bsky.social
A great conversation worth checking out!!!
mhs1791.bsky.social
On the new episode of "Historians & Their Histories," Cornelia H. Dayton discusses her research into the life of John Peters, the husband of acclaimed poet Phillis Wheatley. Listen on podcast streaming services or on the MHS website: www.masshist.org/podcast/hath...
Graphic reads "Historians & Their Histories, Episode 17. The Life of John Peters with Cornelia Dayton." To the right of the text is a headshot of Cornelia Dayton smiling at the camera while wearing a red scarf and a black jacket.
Reposted by Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
jgarc.bsky.social
Please spread the word—The Scholars’ Workshop in Early African American Print at AAS Jan. 12-15, 2026. A writing workshop and intro to archives for junior scholars working on the dissertation or first book. Fully funded. Apply by Oct. 15 2025. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD
freedomseekers.bsky.social
A skilled craftsman who seized his independence by fleeing the American patriots and embracing the British during the American Revolution, Pompey Fleet managed ultimately to make his way to Africa. Read his story here: freedom-seekers.org/story/pompey/
Newspaper advertisement from the Boston Evening Post for freedom seeker named Pompey Fleet
Reposted by Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
freedomseekers.bsky.social
Charles Thompson escaped Stagville Plantation in North Carolina in 1784. For the last several years he had groomed his enslaver’s race horses. He also had “great notions of freedom.” Read his story here: freedom-seekers.org/story/charle...
Reposted by Freedom Seekers: Stories of Black Liberation in the Am. Rev.
stolenrelations.bsky.social
(1/3) Today, 304 years ago, a record of the will of Samuel Lippincott, a landowner in Burlington County, NJ, included reference to two Indigenous people of unstated gender and age. They are also not referred to by name or by community, but left deliberately without these human identifiers.
freedomseekers.bsky.social
The West African figure of Anansi has come to embody resistance, agency, and the indomitable spirit of people of African descent. Our Anansi Prize supports original research and writing about freedom seekers from across the diaspora. Learn about how to apply here: freedom-seekers.org/anansi_prize/
Anansi Prize
freedom-seekers.org
freedomseekers.bsky.social
On this day 249 years ago (8/27/1776) the Continental Army lost the Port of New York, surrendering the city to British control. Occupied Manhattan became a place where enslaved women like Bina could seize freedom. Read her story at freedom-seekers.org/story/bina-j...
Newspaper advertisement for a enslaved runaway named Bina