abolitionistBorn: 1797? Sojourner Truth was the most prominent African-American woman in both the abolitionist movement and the early feminist movement. Born a slave called Isabella, some years…
(Encyclopedia) manifest destiny, belief held by many Americans in the 1840s that the United States was destined to expand across the continent, by force, as used against Native Americans, if…
(Encyclopedia) PhaedrusPhaedrusfēˈdrəs [key], fl. 1st cent. a.d., Latin writer, a Thracian slave, possibly a freedman of Augustus. He wrote fables in verse based largely on those of Aesop. The prose…
(Encyclopedia) Yaqut al-HamawiYaqut al-Hamawiyäk&oomacr;tˈ äl-hämäwēˈ [key], 1179–1229, Arab geographer. Born in Byzantium, he was bought as a slave by a merchant, al-Hamawi. He was freed on the…
(Encyclopedia) Hemings, Sally, 1773–1835, African-American slave owned by Thomas Jefferson, b. Charles City co., Va.; her original name was probably Sarah. Her father was John Wayles, Jefferson's…
(Encyclopedia) Wilberforce, William, 1759–1833, British politician and humanitarian. He was elected to Parliament in 1780 and during the campaign formed a lifelong friendship with William Pitt, whose…
Ben AffleckBorn 8/12/72 in Berkeley, California.Golden Globe-winning co-screenwriter and co-star of Good Will Hunting (1997) (with longtime friend Matt Damon). His acting career also includes…
philanthropist Born: 1766Birthplace: Santo Domingo He was originally a slave brought to New York City in 1787. Upon his owner's death and the subsequent impoverishment of the widow, he worked as a…
religious leaderBorn: 1749Birthplace: New York, New York Although he was a slave, Williams became a sexton in the Methodist Church in 1778. When his owner returned to England in 1783, the church…
