Program Information

In 1848, the family – wife and children – of Henry Brown were “sold South.” With little to live for, this industrial slave, risking life and limb, gained fame and freedom in a most unusual way.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Lead: In 1848, the family – wife and children – of Henry Brown was “sold South.” With little to live for, this industrial slave, risking life and limb, gained fame and freedom in a most unusual way.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: The pre-war Southern industrial labor system, of which Richmond, Virginia was an integral part, depended on the use of slaves – slaves either owned by or leased for work in factories. Unlike plantation slaves, these urban slaves often arranged their own lodging, mingled with free blacks, and if they were industrious and hard-working, could do additional work on their time off through the hiring out system. That was the upside, the downside of the system was “selling South.” It is estimated that one-third to one-half of the slave families sold at auction in Richmond were split up and sent to other parts of the region. Tragically, even after the Civil War, many never saw each other again.

One such family split up in this inhuman cruelty was that of Henry Brown, his wife Nancy,a washerwoman and their young children. In 1848, when Brown was a thirty-three year old industrial slave working in a tobacco factory, unexpectedly his wife’s owner “sold her South” along with her children. Despite Brown’s pleas and desperate attempts to find someone, anyone, to buy them and prevent their separation, they were just gone. In deep despair and frustration, Brown hatched a bold and innovative plan to escape this terrible system.

Next Time: The road to Philadelphia

At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

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