Marker 01

On this episode of Our American Stories, in May 1861, three enslaved men, Frank Baker, Shepherd Mallory, and James Townsend, escaped from Confederate labor at Sewell's Point, Virginia, and crossed to Union-held Fort Monroe. When their enslaver demanded their return, General Benjamin Butler faced a problem. Sending them back would mean returning three men to work on Confederate defenses aimed at his own fort.

Our regular contributor Jon Elfner and historian Kate Masur, author of Until Justice Be Done, share the story of how Butler's decision to hold the men as "contraband of war" helped open Union lines to hundreds, then thousands, of freedom seekers and pushed Congress, Abraham Lincoln, and the Union Army toward a new policy on slavery: ending it entirely.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, in May 1861, three enslaved men, Frank Baker, Shepherd Mallory, and James Townsend, escaped from Confederate labor at Sewell's Point, Virginia, and crossed to Union-held Fort Monroe. When their enslaver demanded their return, General Benjamin Butler faced a problem. Sending them back would mean returning three men to work on Confederate defenses aimed at his own fort. Our regular contributor Jon Elfner and historian Kate Masur, author of <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FUntil-Justice-Done-Revolution-Reconstruction%2Fdp%2F1324005939%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fadgrpid%3D186110827563%26dib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bJAxrKPhUOhy6sE1Xx8O3OoY9G11q5sQWmq2pQ_M1k2RrtxB9K7ZpPNTf7drP6sUeEzT8iUEEPLGaAofVpxwxeHbcuFb5D_26O1hSkGhXTALDLQmA0HvJFR_92KBC8-j0lSI9we5OufjazlPWxf4PlmhHllM5-sSY1_7b3CJ9n--8xtoa269cyMD_YB6Fv-9sEwHx0d0k7YZLh7wCfHrgcRZyeUt9t-a3igZ3vVGAKw.qadX2uA2wwWbM-hbC_ejGFj_TwDFw_mIuoH6CnZO2xY%26dib_tag%3Dse%26hvadid%3D779580146355%26hvdev%3Dc%26hvexpln%3D0%26hvlocphy%3D9013748%26hvnetw%3Dg%26hvocijid%3D1455948843207953762--%26hvqmt%3De%26hvrand%3D1455948843207953762%26hvtargid%3Dkwd-1183915839336%26hydadcr%3D22561_13531225_8196%26keywords%3Duntil%2Bjustice%2Bbe%2Bdone%26mcid%3D4f8180f9e2113e04970691baadac7724%26qid%3D1790959190%26s%3Dbooks%26sr%3D1-1&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7Ce3bd3b099f744c4e294408df20a657cb%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639265570961316559%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=B0XoD2xg1WcH0TTB%2BGAyn2dARIfh3HsE6XGGH1JUvOo%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Until Justice Be Done</a>, share the story of how Butler's decision to hold the men as "contraband of war" helped open Union lines to hundreds, then thousands, of freedom seekers and pushed Congress, Abraham Lincoln, and the Union Army toward a new policy on slavery: ending it entirely.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

How Three Escaped Slaves Changed America Forever

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8b00ff64-1026-4cce-845f-b4d7014fb856/transcript