Embark on the harrowing yet uplifting saga of Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved couple whose love and ingenuity led them to script one of the most audacious escapes in American history. Our narrative weaves through the year of 1848, as we recount the Crafts' extraordinary flight from bondage, with Ellen's fair complexion allowing her to masquerade as a white slave owner and William, her devoted husband, posing as her slave. Their story, filled with suspenseful close calls and the ever-looming specter of recapture, serves as a formidable testament to the human spirit's yearning for freedom. Join us as we illuminate the complex social fabric of the era, the strategic use of "slave privileges," and the profound implications of race and identity that resonate through time.
Witness the culmination of the Crafts' gripping journey in this episode, where fear and hope collide at a Virginia train station and the pursuit of life as free individuals takes them from the cobbled streets of Boston to the relative safety of England. Their legacy unfolds as we examine their bold return to America, the foundation of a school for freed blacks, and the publication of their narratives, cementing their place as educators, authors, and symbols of resistance. Their story is not merely one of personal triumph but a source of inspiration and education for generations to come. The episode casts a light on the enduring importance of such narratives in understanding the complexities of pre-Civil War America and reminds us of the resilience found in the pursuit of liberty.
Embark on the harrowing yet uplifting saga of Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved couple whose love and ingenuity led them to script one of the most audacious escapes in American history. Our narrative weaves through the year of 1848, as we recount the Crafts' extraordinary flight from bondage, with Ellen's fair complexion allowing her to masquerade as a white slave owner and William, her devoted husband, posing as her slave. Their story, filled with suspenseful close calls and the ever-looming specter of recapture, serves as a formidable testament to the human spirit's yearning for freedom. Join us as we illuminate the complex social fabric of the era, the strategic use of "slave privileges," and the profound implications of race and identity that resonate through time.
Witness the culmination of the Crafts' gripping journey in this episode, where fear and hope collide at a Virginia train station and the pursuit of life as free individuals takes them from the cobbled streets of Boston to the relative safety of England. Their legacy unfolds as we examine their bold return to America, the foundation of a school for freed blacks, and the publication of their narratives, cementing their place as educators, authors, and symbols of resistance. Their story is not merely one of personal triumph but a source of inspiration and education for generations to come. The episode casts a light on the enduring importance of such narratives in understanding the complexities of pre-Civil War America and reminds us of the resilience found in the pursuit of liberty.
Ohoy, hoy, what's up, man? How are you doing today, on this February day? We're doing all right. Yeah, how do you say that? Anyway, february February.
Colt Draine:
February. I say February, I have a leave, but I'm Uncertain on the exact carot, carot carot it artery.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
What are you trying to?
Colt Draine:
say Correct and corrupt Maybe, oh my god, corrupt.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
I don't know. You probably like February, I bet. Yeah, yeah, I think so February to January, say Crubs a shit, yeah underrated.
Colt Draine:
Yeah, well known, but still underrated, right.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah.
Colt Draine:
We always go out of tangent about to Rascals or yes, under nicotine.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, we go on.
Colt Draine:
No, no, no.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, so you know, february, Damn it. I just wanted. I want to say it right. Anyway, february is black history month, as in America, in the US, so I don't know Owen. Owen brought up a story that is fascinating and it's it's relatively well known, but probably not as well known as it should be. I feel it's the story of Ellen and William Kraft, correct?
Colt Draine:
Yes, and I hadn't heard it until recently. In the rest of days of slavery it was not uncommon for a slave master to travel one of their slaves by trainer boats. So in a sickly cotton planner and his slave, william, arrived until Adelty in 1848. It didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. In reality, william Kraft had not arrived for the slave owner, but rather another slave. The other slave was fair skinned and had traveled with bandages around their face and their arm in a sling. The other slave was actually Williams life Ellen oh yeah, yeah, it's pretty intense, sorry yeah it was a If I were to title it as a journey to freedom.
Colt Draine:
Ellen and William Kraft. Yeah there you are. I, like the two, began their journey to freedom from making Georgia, where they had lived as slaves under different masters. Well, they were very much in love and wanted to start a family. That both experienced the unimaginable pain of having their families torn apart and sold to various slave owners across the South and fear the same would happen with their own children, and so vowed to escape before bringing kids into the world.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, it sounds like a pretty good plan to me. I tend to agree with that. I mean I would have. What a moral dilemma to have to face, you know.
Colt Draine:
Yeah.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
You know, I mean when they were married to. It's not like they got to stay together or anything. You know, like you said, they're owned by different people. And you know I even say that sucks. They were owned by different people.
Colt Draine:
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's uh yeah, make my skin grow, some of the stuff that, even just as it's historically stated, I don't like saying but there's no other real. I mean. Well, you just do what you do. Yeah, the truth, yeah, um, about the little bringing kids into the world. William later wrote wrote about Helen's fears of losing her own child and described it as the mere thought filled her soul with horror. Yeah, and they contemplated various methods of escape before ultimately deciding to hide and play in sight, and again, this is rough, being favorite, quote unquote slaves of each of their masters. They're allowed time away or on Christmas for a trip, without, you know, bringing up any suspicion or anything like that. They were given time off and William was a skilled carpenter and likely allowed to keep some of his wages, which is just again insane to say likely he was doing all the work.
Colt Draine:
Yet someone kept most, if not a lot of the time, all the money. But it sounded like right, he was able to, because that was one thing hearing about it I at first on TV. I didn't. I was like how did they afford to do this? You know, I mean, it's just the monetary aspect of it, but seems like he sucks some money away, right.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
One thing that.
Colt Draine:
I sorry.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
One thing that also gave them a good advantage is the fact that, since she was, like, worked in the manner or whatnot of her household or work, she was a slave, she was enslaved in this manner and she was kind of with the lady of the house at the time, which was actually her half sister. Did you know that?
Colt Draine:
I saw that at first and then because, yeah, I was a slave owner. Then I'm pregnant at a biracial slave and she was often mistaken for first masters. It was part of family. Yeah, she's been sold to well, she was to one of the making.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Right, yeah.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
So basically, yeah, and she ended up with her half sister, who was you know whatever.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Anyway, nonetheless, the thing that goes on with what you just pointed out that he was a carpenter and he kind of had like extra privileges and that probably had to go with along with, like, going into town and picking up supplies, right and as well she being as she's like the you know the lady of the house's helper or whatnot, she probably was in town quite a bit as well. So when they first made their first little push to freedom, the town people were in these small areas where they know everybody, you know kind of shit. They're used to seeing these two slaves out and about. So they didn't raise any alarm, guys, you know, they were just like, oh yeah, those guys were always doing this stuff, so it gave them probably a jumpstart too, which is kind of, you know, works in their favor. Another thing is is amazing. What was sticking out already to me in this story and I did not think about it until right now is these guys weren't using any underground railroad contacts.
Colt Draine:
No again, they decided to hide in plain sight. Yeah yeah, that it was Williams idea, but she kind of perfected it from everything, everything I read. He said she could disguise herself, being so fair skinned, as a white slave owner, traveling with a slave, of course, and he cut her hair to neck length and she knitted a pair of men's trousers. And another big obstacle was in Georgia. I specifically said Georgia, but I would kind of assume that slaves in general were not allowed to learn to read or write.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Right.
Colt Draine:
And so to sign any hotels is a four day trip back then to go from, from making Georgia to Philadelphia, where they'd ultimately have an opportunity for freedom, right, so staying in any documents that would come up at hotel registry. And so that was why they came up with the idea I mean the Hyder appearance with the bandages around her face, but then to put the arm in a sling. So, oh, you know, william would just say, oh, he can't sign. You know, my master can't sign because of the injury. Yeah, so there was. I mean the whole, the entire, every second had to be unimaginably stressful. This is not even, you know, I don't know what's on steroids, but yeah, the things would not have gone well had they been caught.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
No, it would not have. The thing too, with all the shit that you just pointed out there that I found out around it is, is this the whole goal was to make him look kind of like an invalid, or her to look like an invalid slave owner, like kind of like probably like half like sickly, whatnot, and all these other things. And then the what, the second reason for the bandage around the face. Besides, it probably helped a little bit, but it was because during the time it was super common for men to have facial hair like you know what. I mean Like everybody had beards of. This guy didn't even have like patchy anything. Oh right, yeah.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
So that was another reason for the concealment that I thought was kind of interesting. And yeah, they did they, but there was, you know, they're at the time here. Here's another thing. So here's what explained their journey away as well, and I'm sorry if I'm stepping on your toes here, but Philadelphia at the time was like the medical epicenter for the US or whatever, and even price some other place was like well known for its medicine. So it would have been common for somebody to be traveling during this timeframe all that way just to go seek help, especially if they were kind of all, like you know, not doing so hot as they tried to make this person beat right, or they were trying to dress her up.
Colt Draine:
Yeah, so Philadelphia was already.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, pretty neat.
Colt Draine:
And also would limit. It would give an excuse to not to limit conversation or just general interaction. If he didn't know right, the disguise was complete with a top hat and green spectacles, and then also that slave owners were drinking brandy and smoking cigars, and so, oh, I you know, there's an excuse not to partake in such a such activities if you're in bad shape.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Right, yeah, that's another thing. There you are. Yeah, I did you. What else? Continue on, my friend, I want to. I'm very interested in what you, what you, got with this story.
Colt Draine:
I guess, as we set out this is something that William would later, later right, at least I'll say in quotes when it is but they set out on December 21, 1848. And then, as they began this, this arduous journey, I guess is the best way I can describe it, they knelt and prayed and, as he wrote, took a quote unquote desperate leap for liberty, damn. And so Ellen purchased train tickets for Savannah, which the 200 mile ride swan Georgia from, from making. And as William boarded the again don't like saying the Negro car, but that's where you know, he sat in a different, different part of the train and she did he saw the owner of the cabinet making shop he worked at on the platform.
Colt Draine:
Oh, and the shop owner began peering in the windows and William feared the worst that he shrunk into his seat. Yeah, meanwhile Ellen's train car was searched by the shop owner. He didn't really think twice about the injured passenger and as he was getting close to Williams car to probably confront him, the bell clanged that signaled it was time for the train to move and it went on Dang, and then on the same, you know, just after that happened, and had to have their hearts in their throats, um, ellen mostly stared out the window on the you know hours long 200 mile train ride. I don't know how long it?
Colt Draine:
takes, but longer than that's a long drive, or anyway she. When she finally turned to who was sitting next to her, it was a close friend of her master's, oh man. So she assumed he'd been sent to retriever. But if he was decided when he greeted her with, it is a very fine morning, sir. So I mean, this is just. They're not even out of the state yet, let alone, you know, having to go most of the way up the East coast.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, no shit, that is already pretty amazing.
Colt Draine:
And so, yeah, they boarded a steamship in Savannah, been bound for a Charleston, south Carolina, and over breakfast the following morning, the very friendly captain commented that William was a very attentive boy and told William to be again. Hate saying that, but that was what. What he said. Yeah, he told William to be beware of cutthroat abolitionists who would tell him to run away.
Colt Draine:
Oh, yeah, and on that same journey or same you know steamship ride, ellen was scolded by a military officer for thanking for, you know, for saying thank you to William, which was not. You know, you're not to thank your slaves, even though you're just.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
God, yeah, like I would assume they were a lot of judgment being passed around here to keep this sickness in order. I guess you know it's kind of like the Nazis and their propaganda. It was just shoved down everybody's throat consistently, and it's probably the only way that some of them could stomach. What they were actually doing was like create some sort of fake like universe, like it was. Like you know, they looked at it differently and they knew. They knew it was wrong man, they there was some parts in there too Like the person that she knew, like that when they recounted it, they, she said it was like he knew, like he knew and like you know what I'm saying. So think about that. Like there is just that's another thing that points out in a lot of these instances that there were people down there that didn't agree with it but folded to the societal pressures and or their own greed. Maybe you know, or whatever, but I don't know. You know, nonetheless, I wasn't alive then. I don't have the perspective of either of these parties actually better perspective on the account of these two, though, because they did write memoirs and such, and so they have a lot of good information out there, and that's a plus. That's another reason why people, you should always write like journals and shit, just for the fuck of it, right On paper, guys, not on your computer or whatever, because you never know, somebody might find it and you might end up in a fucking museum one day. You know what I'm saying, so give some perspective of the era Nonetheless, right, yeah, now this is pretty amazing, and I mean this, this track guys.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, you got to remember this is we don't have cell phones, we don't know. Everybody's just kind of sitting on this car looking around at people talking. You know, there, there there is. This is like it's not probably as silent as a lot of the trips we're used to now on plane flights and such. You know, people are interacting, going from the, the one car to the other to get a drink or whatever it may be, and things of that nature. So it there's some stressful moments. I can't. I wouldn't assume these trains go that fast. I would. I would bet on about 35 miles an hour. I would have to think.
Colt Draine:
Yeah, I'm not sure. I know it's a several hours for them just to get the first 200 to the yeah to Savannah.
Colt Draine:
Once they did reach Charleston, ellen stayed in the finest hotel in town and again it was. William went with her to the registry and just said you know, my master can't sign, he's injured, right? The hotel clerk thought nothing of it and the I don't know what I want to say. I mean it was if Ellen in fact. So I'll just go that Ellen was given, under false pretenses, a great room to stay in and was waited on hand and foot at a wonderful table in the restaurant. So they were fooled completely, right. Yes, and this is. This is a pretty, pretty impressive ruse that they yeah but, again, they'd only made as far as Charleston, South Carolina.
Colt Draine:
And then once they did. They were. They're going to buy tickets for a seam shift from Charleston to Philadelphia, which, of course, without stops that would they'd run into, but an unpleasant ticket ticket seller refused to sell them as, to ensure white abolitionists weren't helping slaves escape, A slave owner had to provide ownership. You know documents that proved they were traveling with a slave. That was, and despite the injured arm ticket salesman was adamant that he would not not let them aboard. Right, and as luck would have it, the same captain was passing by and overheard this and vouched for the cotton plant planner and a slave, you know, just saying like oh no, no, I know they're, they're good, they're coming from Georgia and, yeah, We'll sign their names for them.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Oh wow, that's fantastic, but it's so that same captain who was?
Colt Draine:
I mean, he was still. Again, we don't have the perspective of Right. Back then. But he was even friendly. That, even though he said, oh, an attendant boy, like it was just like. Oh, it makes my skin crawl to even say that Back then that was probably just being like oh, your helper is is good, you know, he seems like he didn't have any. He didn't he didn't hate William for for being black, and he, he was friendly.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Um right, still, I mean well it's whatever, but yeah, yeah, it's hard to put it into perspective guys, like including just for the in general I'm not scared to talk race. I don't really care.
Colt Draine:
Okay, no, I'm not either I just really does make me uncomfortable? It does, yeah, but just the slavery issue.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, yeah, I get this, I get that. All I'm going to say about it is is you know, he has to play his role too. Even maybe he knew everything and he was like you know, I'm going to help him, whatever, right? So maybe he starts. You know, you're presenting a thing. Also, like you know, terms for people change and even if they're wrong, if it's what the general public is told, that's that's what you're supposed to say. They're going to say it because a lot of people don't want to say bad stuff about other people or you know whatnot, right? So, like, at the end of the day, you know, there's a lot of people growing up in the seventies where it was acceptable, in the sixties, where if you were trying to be cool, you would say colored people. Right Now, that would be extremely offensive, right, wouldn't it?
Colt Draine:
I don't know, but I feel like it would be.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
I don't know it would be slightly offensive or extremely. That's all I'm saying. I just know it's not the term you should use or whatnot, but it was to me like a lot of these terms are accepted by black people in different areas as well, and then they, they, they evolve to fit more the climate of what's going on. You know it. Just it evolves and hopefully you know it's evolving into a better place. Still nothing, nothing great I would say all the way, but like there's a lot of, a lot of progressive things. I mean it always kind of fucks me up, but doesn't that like, I guess? Like you know, we England abolished slavery before us. You know, even though they did, they did the whole indentured servitude thing, which is pretty slavish, but like, nonetheless, here, like even at this time of our country, we did nothing but boast about freedoms all the while keeping people enslaved, you know, and and tell the civil war. Obviously it's like what the fucking hypocrites you know in England.
Colt Draine:
Yeah Okay, Slavery is not allowed there. They just went all over the world and got other slaves and took people. Yeah yeah, India.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, I guess. Yeah, there's a lot of. There's so much man. I mean, there's so much disgusting shit in the world today. Guys, let's not forget that. You know these things were very open at one point in time. Now, you know, in in 50 years, people are probably going to be like what the fuck were those guys thinking?
Colt Draine:
Yeah, yeah, not us, but just society in general. Upon reaching Baltimore, the last major stop before the promise of freedom in Pennsylvania, the crafts were detained, oh, okay. And the officer told them we shan't let you go again. The documentation of everything, and that was, being that it was so close to, you know, a free state, they were very determined to check every possible. Yeah, make sure that no human being was allowed to go free, I guess In the land of the city. And yeah, he stood his ground. And then the, the jingling of the departure bell rang again and they, the crafts, had been praying in silence and that's what you know. The officer reiterated that they weren't going anywhere until until they provided the the correct paper Work. And the officer looked closer at the heavy bandages and finally said to a clerk on the train, quote unquote he is not well, it is a pity to stop him. Tell the conductor, let this gentleman and his slave pass, geez.
Colt Draine:
And so they arrived free in Philadelphia on Christmas morning and Ellen exclaimed with tears running down her face Thank God, william, we're safe. And although she'd stayed in luxury hotels and the best train cars, keeping up her disguise and worrying about William being kidnapped by other slave traders Right, or just just being found out. She they both were under so much stress but she really had to keep up the deception every millisecond of right, you know, other than when she kind of been sleeping well, even in these luxury hotels, which I still. I think that is a really awesome part is that these dipshits that were catering to some white cotton planner were really just like helping this part African-American woman stay in their swanky swanky.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Right. Well, part of me thinks that how that was wrote under false pretenses. It also made me think well, did they like? Do it like kind of a Dine and Dash situation.
Colt Draine:
You know, like again they had money because he'd been able to save stuff, Wow, and then it sounded I was unclear, I kind of tried to look into that, because with the steamship captain it sounded like they were all eating together, which I mean, for God's sakes, like almost a hundred or more than a hundred years later in the South. You still weren't, you know.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
Yeah, I know.
Colt Draine:
Yes, black and white people were not eating together and it sounded as if so. I don't think that was, I don't know, you know here's.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
I did read a thing where she said, you know, because, like I was pointing out, these train rides and things were it was back then where everything was close quartered, conversations were had, it was like an event to travel like that on the train, probably to an extent, you know, I'm assuming especially if you're traveling in luxury, right, so but one of the things that she talks about is that there were women that she overheard talking about how she doesn't understand why her slave would act in such a way when she treats her so well and all these things, and and was going on and on and basically was like wouldn't you agree? And look right at her? And you know she's like there's a lot of comments like that. Where this just came up in their polite conversation was about like these things where I think I treated pretty good, I only beat them every so often or you know I've never done.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
You know, basically is how I kind of take that and I'm like you know it's just like every day chit, chatter, I suppose, like if you're meeting somebody or you're seeing somebody new at the grocery store and you're like, oh yeah, how's, how's your dog? Oh, you know, it fetches real well, that's sickening right. That's like how these people were having conversations so yeah, this isn't that long ago, guys. Like, let's just you know, when anybody wants to get all uppity about anything, the best thing to do is just embrace the education of it and just see where it takes, as opposed to wanting to get all fired up because somebody's teaching this thing and other ones not, and or whatever you may be mad about, you know, I think we all need to learn more about this because it's in our fucking recent history.
Colt Draine:
Yeah, I guess, and the scheme of things is a blink of an eye. Yeah, that's what I'm saying Like 180 years ago, basically that this that ain't.
Colt Draine:
Yeah, that was another. It more stuff came up along the way. At a train station in Virginia, a woman mistaken William for a runaway slave and demanded the return with her. And now Dave, the manager on that, and abolitionists had in fact approached William, one saying leave that cripple and have your liberty. And so for him to just, oh, no, I'm good with the crippled white cotton planner, yeah, talk their way out of that, right. But the day they arrived, christmas day, they received reading lessons and found assistance and lodging immediately. Uh, they shortly after moved to Boston where William again worked as a cabinet maker, you know, and found a job as a seamstress. Wow, that's cool. There you are still. They were not done in the united states, as slave hunters from Georgia arrived in 1850 trying to capture the crafts and return them to Georgia and at that point, they fled to England.
Colt Draine:
England all the way to jolly old mario or whatever yeah, and they eventually had the family they wished for five children. Nice, they would eventually return to the us in the 1870s establishing a school for newly freed blacks.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
That's badass there you are. Yes, that's um. What a tale, what a fucking tale.
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
You know, one thing that comes up often when I'm reading about this situation is the fact that, well, they were able to do it in this way because, like people almost like try to downplay it historically, like or something, because they were both, they had it easy compared to other slaves, like they weren't out there picking caught. You know, I'm like the fuck man and you know, like I don't even, I don't even know I understand, but anyway, nonetheless, what an amazing story. I'm glad they uh seen some of their dreams come true, right yeah, I just I can't I can't even imagine the stuff.
Colt Draine:
And I'm the older I get I'm better about just being grateful for this or that, but I haven't ever even you know I've lost several people, probably too many for how young I am.
Colt Draine:
But to just like the daily, you don't know anything could happen to you. And then, especially on this, if you're a runaway slave, you're right. But even if you're just, yeah, oh, you're the favorite slave, like, oh, boy, so yeah, what? Like, yeah, I don't get beaten every day and I get the heat, you know, maybe twice a day, I don't even know. Well, yeah, just to. To put this in perspective to the stuff that people bitch about nowadays yeah, and that these people had the resolve and strength and just and intelligence. I mean to pull something like that off and then to keep it cool and yeah, I just yeah, yeah, yeah, it's. It's cool to think that there are probably descendants of theirs that are still alive today. I would guess in the us that wouldn't have been. You know, they, all these generations, yeah, that's no, their family would not have existed because right couldn't have kids, because they didn't didn't want to bring their children into right well, also like that yeah, and they also published books and such and yeah you
Owen "The Mic" McMichael:
know and whatnot, and so they and this is during the time, pre-civil war, I believe right. So the, you know they were inspiring to people, so they, they inspired a lot of people. You know they were, uh, you know, martin luther kingish I guess. I mean, I want to say that if that's right or not, but it was like an inspiring tale and they tried to teach and do things and move forward and they got shit for a while. Obviously, try to start a school and you know, I don't know, that was a part of our conversation ellen and william craft and it went. It goes a little long because we actually are going to be touching on henry box brown on the next episode. So technically, this is a two-parter, guys, but I'm not going to label it as such, I don't think so. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed and learned something, um, and we'll see you on the next one.