Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave

Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography

by Henry Bibb

Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave is a classic African American history and slave biography by Henry Bibb. Henry Walton Bibb (May 10, 1815 in Cantalonia, Kentucky – 1854) was an American author and abolitionist who was born a slave. After escaping from slavery to Canada, he founded an abolitionist newspaper, The Voice of the Fugitive. He returned to the US and lectured against slavery. Bibb was born to an enslaved woman, Milldred Jackson, on a Cantalonia, Kentucky, plantation on May 10, 1815. His people told him his white father was James Bibb, a Kentucky state senator, but Henry never knew him. As he was growing up, Bibb saw each of his six younger siblings, all boys, sold away to other slaveholders. As a young teenager,Henry Bibb was sold to a man in Newcastle, Kentucky, named Mr. Vires, whose wife treated Bibb poorly. Recalling the abuses he received in that household, Bibb says that the Vires' cruelty inspired him with a desire to escape. He would run away for days at a time, and though they would beat him for it, he never gave up. Eventually they grew tired of his escapes and returned him to his original slaveholder, Mr. White. In 1833, at the age of eighteen, Henry Bibb was introduced to his future wife, Malinda, a slave who lived in Oldham County, Kentucky on a farm four miles from Bibb. At first he was reluctant to get romantically involved with her because he knew that such a relationship would impede his aspirations to freedom, but the more he spent time with her, the more he was distracted from his goals. Though everyone except for Malinda's owner opposed their union, they entered into a common-law marriage since legally binding marriages were a privilege withheld from slaves by most slaveholders. After marrying Malinda, Bibb was moved from farm to farm until, because of fear that he would run away to see his wife, he was contracted to labor for the Malinda's slaveholder. He quickly became disturbed at seeing the abuses that his wife was subjected to, and even more so once Malinda gave birth to their daughter, Mary Frances, who was likewise abused. In December of 1837, Bibb made another, more successful, bid for freedom. He left his wife and child without their knowledge and crossed the Ohio River into the free state of Indiana. From there he took a steamboat to Cincinnati, all the while hiding his identity from those onboard. In 1842, he managed to flee to Detroit, from where he hoped to gain the freedom of his wife and daughter.[1] After finding out that Malinda had been sold as a mistress to a white planter, Bibb focused on his career as an abolitionist. After his escape, Henry Bibb remarried a woman named Mary Miles and he traveled and lectured throughout the United States, becoming a well-known African-American activist. In 1849-50 he published his autobiography Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave, Written by Himself, which became one of the best known slave narratives of the antebellum years. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased the danger to Bibb and his second wife Mary E. Miles, of Boston. It required Northerners to cooperate in the capture of escaped slaves. To ensure their safety, the Bibbs migrated to Canada and settled in Sandwich, Upper Canada now Windsor, Ontario. In 1851, he set up the first black newspaper in Canada, The Voice of the Fugitive. The paper helped develop a more sympathetic climate for blacks in Canada as well as helped new arrivals to adjust. Due to his fame as an author, Bibb was reunited with three of his brothers, who separately had also escaped from slavery to Canada. In 1852 he published their accounts in his newspaper. He was also the founding director of a Canadian black colonization project, the Refugee Home Society. Henry Bibb died in 1854, at the young age of 39.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Biography, Historical, Memoir, African American

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1849

Reviews

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this!

I have read a number of slave autobiographies and this was by far the best. Somehow the visceral feel of this state was made so clear in this book. Having every indignity of physical, emotional and sexual nature put on one or watching this done to others without being able to lift a finger in defense...to not even be able to look the master in the eye. How can anyone survive 500 lashes and this by a respected deacon of the church. Henry Bibb was a master at running away successfully but then he chose to come back to rescue his wife and daughter only to be captured again. This happened repeatedly and his adventures both before and after were fascinating and horrific. I think the saddest part for a moral, upright individual was being denied the right to spiritual instruction or attending church. He could not marry his wife in any regular way and because they were both considered property like a horse or cow, could be split up at will. All the rigors and pain of slavery are elucidated in great detail which was lacking in many of the other books. What strength of character and will to go through what the author did and survive. He told the tale for millions.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable slave narrative. It's obvious from Bibb's general attitude toward life and, particularly, life under slavery, that he was an outsized character. He escaped from slavery many, many times during his life, frequently returning in attempts to free his family (he never succeeded). He has several trenchant observations regarding the religion of slaveholders (ostensibly Christians, but ones who have no qualms about separating and selling members of their own churches down the river), "free" vs. slave states (particularly Ohio and Michigan), tricks of escaping from slave states via steamboat (it was illegal for captains to take African-Americans, free or otherwise, from slave states without certain rules and routines), differences in the style of slavery practiced by European-Americans and Native Americans (his last owner was a Cherokee, on Cherokee lands), and many other topics. This book should be better known than it appears to me to be.

[Alexis Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel former slave Henry Bibb discusses his life as a slave on a Kentucky plantation. Henry Bibb was born to Mildred Jackson and James Bibb a white man. at age 10 Henry attempts to escape slavery. He later moves to Missouri where he gets married to another slave named Malinda and they have a daughter named Mary James. Henry Bibb later escapes slavery to Michigan where he becomes an abolitionist and goes to school for freed slaves to learn how to read and write. He married a second wife named Mary after he learns that after his separation from his first wife Malinda that she has been having an affair with her slave owners. Together him and his wife Malinda founded a newspaper about anti slavery in Canada. This book is excellent and Henry Bibb discusses the cruelty of slavery and what it was like to be a slave. Highly recommend this novel.

[Coyote Longfall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This man is woefully underrated. His experiences should be required reading. There is some hyperbole, and some of the narrative was fitted to meet the needs of the abolitionist movement at the time of publication, but the majority of this work has been verified as accurate. A primary source on the experience of slaves that should not be overlooked by any serious student of nineteenth century America.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the those books that everyone should read.

[Aahlee Chevalier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry Bibb doesn't get the love and respect that he deserves. His story is a love story. the way this man loved his wife and family, I have never seen a love like this. For lovers of historical African American fiction, this is a must read.

[Ashley Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Douglass was one of the most famous orators on the abolition movement, Bibb should be widely read and studied as well.

I feel like schools always assign Narrative in the Life of Frederik Douglass, which is great, but Henry Bibb and Harriet Jacobs should be assigned more, because they show a whole other side of the way in which slaves were treated.

Bibb was more of a field hand and his narrative dealt with themes of family and good morals, which made it different than Douglass’s.

This book was the story of family, torture, resilience, and the horrors of slavery. Bibb is an amazing writer, with excellent imagery, a strong use of pathos, and overall well constructed chapters.

Just amazing! So glad I signed up for this class and got to read this!

[Bob Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is the true story of a slave who escaped several times, finally becoming free, and became active in the abolitionist movement, telling his story from Michigan to Ohio.
His story is a gripping account that gives insight into the "peculiar institution." Since he lived under owners in several states, and escaped and was caught several times before getting free for good, his story gives insight into how slaves were treated, the dangers for those who ran away, what it was like to be auctioned off, how slavery destroyed families, and how Southern whites were religious yet turned a blind eye to the godlessness of slavery.

[Nellie Ziegler]

Author an American Slave audiobook - Librivox

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember the details, but I do remember it was a fast-paced engaging read. I think Bibb was one of the few slaves to give a narrative either after living in the deep south or being slave to an American Indian. For that reason alone this is a standout among slave narratives. Beyond that, it's just good reading.

[Mica Caine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very compelling autobiography that shows the perseverance of a man attempting to secure the freedom of his wife and child. Though I wish we got to learn more about his wife, Bibb’s fierceness and tenacity is very inspiring. What I found fascinating is the book does not focus too hard on the Underground Railroad, but a rare look at Black & indigenous kinship during the 20th century as well.

[Ana Ventura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply engaging; everyone should read it.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart is heavy.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very interesting and detailed slave narrative

[Aneesah Nu'Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring story, well written, thoughtful and exciting action.

[spoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't have much to say about it, but I go through it and thus felt good reading it, though the book itself is horrifying/hard to read b/c content

[Melissa]

How the word is passed

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to rate books like this, so vital are they to understanding American history. Everyone should read these narratives.

[Travis Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written narrative that provides a powerful perspective of history. Prior to reading this book for a class, I was unfamiliar with Henry Bibb and the significance of his life. The struggles Henry faced to reunite with his family exposes the horrors that black men, women, and children were subjected to under the guises of democracy and Christianity.

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look into the life of a real life slave, it is an extremely sad, heart wrenching story, it pickles the mind that this sort of stuff actually went on in the same world that I live in !
Henry had many horrid, I actually haven’t got any words to describe these brutal slave masters, but he had many of them and out of them all he said the Indian one was the nicest most humane master ! It’s a bit ironic really the fact that Americans at the time would call Indians savages & cannibals and other cruel names but it was actually the Americans who were the savages !!!
An Intriguing & inspiring story of a man who refuses to give up & will continue to fight for his freedom as long as he lives, his name is Henry Bibb.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quotable:

Reader, believe me when I say, that no tongue, nor pen ever has or can express the horrors of American Slavery.