Free Boy is the story of a 13-year-old slave who escaped from Washington Territory to freedom in Canada on the West's underground railroad.When James Tilton came to Washington Territory as surveyor-general in the 1850s he brought with his household young Charles Mitchell; a slave he had likely received as a wedding gift from a Maryland cousin. The story of Charlie's escape in 1860 on a steamer bound for Victoria and the help he received from free blacks reveals how national issues on the eve of the Civil War were also being played out in the West.Written with young adults in mind; the authors provide the historical context to understand the lives of both Mitchell and Tilton and the time in which the events took place. The biography explores issues of race; slavery; treason; and secession in Washington Territory; making it both a valuable resource for teachers and a fascinating story for readers of all ages.
#1686381 in Books 2003-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .72 x 5.98l; 1.02 #File Name: 0295983140320 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating perspectiveBy Geoffrey C HazzanThe Paris-based Alliance Israelite Universelle provided excellent French education to underprivileged Jewish boys and girls in over a hundred schools from Tangier to Teheran. The children would benefit immensely as this would give them the opportunity to better themselves and advance in their careers. Comprehensive and searching reports were sent back to France by specially trained inspectors of both local living conditions and teaching standards so that the bar could be set as high as possible. Rodrigue has judiciously selected a cross section of these insightful letters so that we can sense and feel what it must have been like growing up in; for example; Morocco or Turkey before World War11 when France; Britain and a fading Ottoman Empire still held sway.
