Juneteenth: 7 Lesser-known black abolitionists
7.Josiah Henson
A Methodist preacher and member of the Underground Railroad, Josiah Henson was born a slave in Maryland in 1789, escaping north with his wife and four children in 1830.
Henson ended up in Canada, where he founded an organization called the Dawn Institute, which helped escaped slaves learn trades to better their economic future.
He published an autobiography in 1849 titled The Life of Josiah Henson: Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself.
During the Antebellum era, Henson was credited with helping around 200 enslaved individuals escape to Canada, with some in the abolitionist cause referring to him as “Father Henson.”
According to the National Park Service, Henson was the inspiration for the character Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. While the term “Uncle Tom” now has a negative meaning, the character itself was known for his bravery, intelligence and piety.
