Josiah Henson

Biography

Josiah Henson (1789–1883) was an African American author, minister, and abolitionist who escaped slavery in Maryland and became a prominent leader of the Black community in Canada. Born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland, Henson endured decades of bondage before escaping with his family to Canada in 1830 via the Underground Railroad. In Canada, he founded the Dawn Settlement, a community for escaped slaves, and established schools and a lumber business. His autobiography, first published as The Life of Josiah Henson (1849) and later expanded, is believed to have inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s character Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Henson’s narrative provides a powerful firsthand account of slavery’s brutality, the courage required to escape, and the possibilities of freedom. He traveled to England, where he met Queen Victoria, and was celebrated as a spokesman for the abolitionist cause. Henson’s story represents both the horror of American slavery and the extraordinary resilience of those who survived and triumphed over it.