Henry ''Box'' Brown

Henry "Box" BrownHenry Box Brown, Charles Stearns / Public domainEach man has the right of freedom, no matter what ethnicity they are. Henry "Box" Brown was born without this right, like any other African-American slave would have around the 1800's. Brown then escaped to Philadelphia by hiding inside a box for 27 hours, then gaining his freedom and a new life. Henry "Box" Brown is a hero due to his inspirational speeches and novels about the evils of slavery to different people, and inspiring different crowds.

Henry "Box" Brown was born around 1815, living what every slave child had. Years later, he was sold away from his family to a tobacco factory in Richmond, then having his wife and kids sold away from him. Starting to hate how he lived, Brown decided to escape with the help from different people to get him into the Northern states. Brown then escaped inside a box, which was able to fit his 5'8 height and 200 pound body. After 27 long hours, Brown arrived in Philadelphia.

When Brown escaped from slavery, there were two sides to this escape. One side said to keep it confidential, while the others said to make it public. Brown then decided to publicize it to the general public. Beginning the spread of the news, "Brown began speaking on the antislavery circuit about his escape and about the horrors of slavery" (Paragraph 6). But after the circuit in America, the Fugitive Slave Law Act was passed in America and Brown had to escape to England so he wouldn't get caught. He continued his work there and "Henry appeared before the New England Anti-Slavery Society Convention in Boston" (paragraph 8). He still continued to speak against slavery, even though that was not his home. To help him make a living, he became a magician and performed in front of crowds. Helping him was his new wife and child, and using the same box that he escaped in as a setup to pop out of.

One of the reasons Henry "Box" Brown is considered a hero is because he was an inspiration and a symbol to all who listened to him and heard his stories. From the PBS article Freedom Marker: Courage and Creativity by Dr. Bryan Walls, quotes "Henry appeared before the New England Anti-Slavery Society Convention in Boston, where he left no doubt in the minds of the audience that the enslaved desired freedom" (Para. 8), explained how African-Americans wanted freedom instead of slavery. Where people listened to his speech and followed his words. In paragraph 13, "he was a symbol of the Underground Railroad Freedom Movement. He was a man who took courage and combined it with creativity." This shows that he inspired others to escape slavery from the South in any way they wanted. And being the symbol for the Underground Railroad Freedom Movement shows how him being a symbol gave hope for others to escape from the South.

Lithograph of Henry "Box" BrownSamuel W. Rowse / Public domain

Another reason why he is considered a hero is because he started to travel to different places to speak up against slavery, where he would continue to do so until the end. "Brown developed a traveling exhibit--called a panorama--which he used to expose the evils of slavery while he told the story of his escape. J. C. A. Smith moved to the North to join Brown and they continued on the speaking circuit together." (Notable Black American Men 7), explains that Brown continued to spread the description of the horrors of slavery, but at the same time people would help and work together to show the truth behind slavery. Even though he had to leave America, he "fled to England and arrived in Liverpool in October 1850. There Brown continued to tell of his exploits and tour with his panorama." (Notable Black American Men Para. 8), defines that nothing would stop him speaking against slavery and its evils against his kind.He was a great influence among Americans and the British for speaking against slavery and telling his story without any fear at all. From Contemporary Authors Online, quotes "Among these is the possible influence of Brown's work on that of other abolitionist writers; as Fleche wrote, "Brown's themes and styles provide a strikingly obvious and undeniable influence for Harriet Beecher Stowe's later and more famous Uncle Tom's Cabin." (Paragraph 4), shows that other people were inspired by his work. Uncle Tom's Cabin was an inspiration of Henry "Box" Brown on what he did, which also became a story read by many and having people realize that slavery should not reside in their country. In Brown's book, Narrative of the life of Henry Box Brown, quotes "slavery, in all its phases, is demoralizing to everyone concerned, none who may read the following narrative, can for a moment doubt. In my opinion unless the Americans purge themselves of this stain, they will have to undergo very severe, if not protracted suffering." (Brown i), where he explains how slavery affects people when they read the following narrative that they have received. He explain that if Americans stop slavery they won't have any anguish or suffering upon themselves.