Captured out of Paradise:
Abdul Rahman, an African Prince from Futa Jallon, was the son of a powerful African King. He was given command of two-thousand men at the young age of twenty-six; where he and his men defeated the enemies of his people. One day in the forest, Rahman and his men were ambushed by rivals, where they were shot down like flies. Captured and bound, Rahman and the remainder of his men were dragged one-hundred miles and sold to English slave traders; where they would say goodbye to the countless mountains and valleys of their homeland.
Shorn of Dignity and Nobility:
After a rough voyage across the sea and facing horrible living conditions, Rahman along with several other Africans, arrived in the America's. Where they were unloaded just like all the other goods and merchandise to be bought. Rahman was sold to a man by the name of Thomas Foster, who was looking to earn a living in Mississippi. Foster, who didn't even realize that his new slave was an actual prince, goes and cuts Abdul's long hair, a sign of nobility that many would rather die than part with. Having enough of this cruel, unjust treatment, Abdul makes a run for it and tries to escape. Several weeks later, a starving Abdul realizes that getting home to Africa is virtually impossible, and returns to Fosters plantation.
False Happiness:
After sort of resigning himself to a life of slavery, Abdul profits Thomas Foster greatly from his knowledge of the crop cotton. Rahman becomes an overseer of the other slaves on the plantation, where he remarries and has 9 more children, his other wife and child still in Africa. One day while selling his own crops from his garden, Abdul runs into a man named John Cox. Cox having been helped by Rahman's people, tries greatly to show his gratitude by buying Abdul his freedom. But Foster wouldn't sell "prince" for any sum of money. Abdul was living as normally as one could in slavery, he was married and had children as well as friends, and even his own crops to sell. But one day, after finding out about his daughter getting raped by Thomas Foster Jr., Abdul realized that his family was in a horrible situation. If something were to happen to Thomas Foster, his family would be split up like property, and all Abdul had been working for would be destroyed.
Short-lived freedom:
A man by the name of Andrew Marschalk had a printing press, and wrote about Abduls story, which gained a lot of publicity. After forty years of slavery, Abdul who was now in his sixties, was finally set free after not being much of profit to Foster anymore. But under certain conditions, Abdul had to leave the Country and go back to Africa. Abdul then went on a journey up north to campaign money to free his family from slavery. President John Quincy Adams at first was willing to pay the funds for his families freedom to benefit America's relationship with Morocco, until he realized that Rahman was from Africa. Abdul also worked with the American Colonization Society to gain freedom for his family. But in the end he was only able to buy his wife. Abdul and his wife then set off on their journey to Africa, but they only made it to Liberia. After spending a couple months there, Abdul fell ill and died, before ever reuniting with his family.
Citations:
Prince Among Slaves. Dir Bill Duke & Andrea Kalin. PBS. 2008
"Prince Among Slaves - UPF (Unity Productions Foundation)." Unity Productions Foundation. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.upf.tv/films/prince-among-slaves/>.
