The narrative of Henry Bibb is written by himself and although it was not edited by anyone, aside from punctuation changes, chapter organizations, and a table of contents, a report was conducted by the Detroit Liberty Association to examine the truth of the narrative. The committee explored the accuracy of facts, dates, people, as well as localities in Bibb’s narrative through testimonies that involved Bibb himself, as well as the backing of slave owners, dealers, slave fugitives, political friends, and political foes, often obtained in the form of letters. Once approved, The President of the Detroit Liberty Association, H. Hallock, supported Bibb to the fullest, stating “The undersigned have pleasure in recommending Henry Bibb to the kindness and confidence of Anti-slavery friends in every State...his deportment, his conduct, and his christian discourse have won our esteem and affection” (Bibb 436).
Bibb published his story in 1849 and, due to its great success, the narrative, by 1850, already had a third edition. In the same year, the Fugitive Slave Law was passed, after which Bibb and his second wife settled in Canada. Here, Bibb published and edited the first black newsletter in Canada named “Voice of the Fugitive” in January of 1859. Being so successful, the paper had eleven hundred subscribers within the end of the first year of its publication.
Bibb spent the remainder of his life, with his wife, taking an active role in the community. Together, they founded schools, assisted with building a Methodist Church, and assisted in creating temperance, educational, and anti-slavery societies. Bibb also helped aid in the formation of the Refugee Home Society, a joint-stock company that attempted to obtain and sell Canadian farmland to black immigrants. However, in 1853, Bibb experienced hardship with the publication of a second black newspaper (which meant competition for “Voice of the Fugitive”) and when a fire, believed to be arson, destroyed his office. His work was never recovered. Although Bibb never achieved his goals of ending slavery and establishing an African American colony in Canada, until his death on August 1, 1854, at the age of thirty-nine, he lived the entirety of his life with good intentions.
Works Cited
Bibbs, Henry. Narrative of The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave. Slave Narratives 1789. Eds. William Andrews and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Library of America 2000; pgs. 427-566.
"Recent Acquisitions in African-American History &Literature: Credits." University of Virginia Library. Ed. Felicia Johnson and Edward Gaynor. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/rec_acq/credits.html.
Scott Giusto, Heidi L. Oxford AASC:. Oxford University Press. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/article/opr/t0004/e0054?hi=1&highlight=1&from=quick&pos=2.
I wonder why was Bibb's narrative was put through such a rigorous test of authenticity?
ReplyDeleteWas it common at this time to put so much effort into confirming legitimacy of various slave narratives?
ReplyDeleteAs we discussed in class, many slave narrative authors were forced to prove their authenticities in order to ensure their stories were credible and not mere exaggerations of slave life. Furthermore, people in favor of slavery probably wanted to ensure that it was difficult to get these narratives published to keep the slave trade in America in tact as the publication of them meant the horrors of slavery would be revealed.
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