Andrew Jackson was born in 1814 in Kentucky to slave parents. Although his mother had been freed by a former master in his will, the heirs disputed its legitimacy, and she and her children remained enslaved. Because they were separated when he was young, Jackson had no recollection of his parents. He had several masters, including a Methodist preacher whom he served for twenty years. As a young man, he escaped to Wisconsin, and joined his brother who had fled previously. After staying with his brother for a year, he moved to New York, where he began lecturing about slavery and Christianity.

Jackson's narrative begins with a brief sketch of the years he spent as a slave and continues with an extended description of the trials he faced during his escape. He includes anecdotes relating to slavery, his thoughts about ministerial duty, and lengthy letters to his former owners. In these letters Jackson attacks the faulty logic used to defend American slavery. He includes several notices for runaway slaves written by jailers and slave owners, and he continues to advocate abolition in his responses. Jackson also includes an essay, "My Reasons Why Slavery Will Die," and a journal of his travels and sketches in 1846-1847 while he was lecturing on slavery. Throughout the narrative, Jackson inserts poetry relating to the plight of slaves.

Monique Prince