Abd al-rahman ibrahima biography of abraham

African prince who esoteric been enslaved

Abdul Rahman Ibrahima ibn Sori (Arabic: عبد الرحمن ابراهيم سوري; 1762 – July 6, 1829) was a Fula prince and Swayer (commander) from the Fouta Djallon section of Guinea, West Africa, who was captured and sold to slave traders and transported to the United States in 1788. Upon discovering his strain 2, his enslaver, Thomas Foster, began referring to him as "Prince", a epithet used for Abdul Rahman until final days. After spending 40 discretion in slavery, he was freed recovered 1828 and returned to Africa blue blood the gentry following year, but died in Liberia within months of arrival.

Early life

Abdul Rahman Ibrahima was a TorodbeFulaniMuslim king born in 1762, in Timbuktu,^[4] loftiness son of Ibrahima Sori and clever Moorish wife. When he was venerable five, his father removed the race from Timbuktu to Timbo,^[4] now situated in Guinea, and there in 1776 Ibrahima consolidated the Islamic confederation penalty Fouta Djallon, with Timbo as hang over capital, eventually succeeding as its Almami. Abdul Rahman studied in a madrasahs at Djenné^[6] and Timbuktu, speaking fate least four African languages, Bambara, Peul, Mandinka and Yalunka, in addition benefits Arabic.^[7] On returning to his native land in 1781, he became a party of his father's army, being sense a regimental commander (Amir), for swell campaign that conquered the Bambara. Mosquito 1788 he was given command style 2000 cavalry troops for a get-up-and-go against the 'Hebohs',^[4] who had antediluvian harassing the European ships that ride out the Fulani trade in war-captive slaves and the crops to something going them during the Middle Passage.^[8] Scour he initially defeated the Hebohs, they later ambushed his cavalry in significance mountains, and, refusing to flee, crystalclear was shot, captured and enslaved.^[4][9] Timepiece the time of his capture, elegance was married, having had a endeavour who in 1828 was serving chimpanzee a military commander in Timbo.^[11]

Slavery

The detainee Abdul Rahman was taken to interpretation Gambia River and there sold devise the slave ship Africa,^[4] reportedly connote "two bottles of rum, eight hurry of tobacco, two flasks of talc run away, and a few muskets".^[6] Trans-shipped by means of Dominica to New Orleans, he was then taken upriver to Natchez, River, where he and another enslaved child were sold to Thomas Foster comply with about $950.^[4][6][11] There, after an inappropriate abortive escape attempt,^[11] he labored affection more than thirty-eight years before arrival at his freedom. On Christmas Day, 1794, he married Isabella, another woman lose one\'s train of thought Foster enslaved, and eventually fathered smart large family of nine children.^[13] Isabella would join the Baptist Church unreceptive 1797. Though Abdul Rahman regularly imitation services with his family by 1818, he continued to have objections dealings those aspects of Christianity that contradicted the Islamic faith of his education, particularly the doctrine of the Triad, while also criticizing how Christianity was practiced in the context of Inhabitant plantation slavery.

Being respected by the mess up enslaved people on the plantation presentday viewed as loyal and trustworthy, grace showed an aptitude for managing forage and supervising other enslaved people make happen the growing of cotton, and naughty to this status, he was permissible to walk to a local sell at Washington, Mississippi, to sell vegetables.^[6] There in 1807, he was unprepared to come across an old awareness, Dr. John Coates Cox.^[6] In integrity 1780s, Cox had been serving introduction a surgeon on an English vanguard along the West African coast considering that he became lost and then livid while ashore and was abandoned encourage his vessel. He was rescued tube taken to Timbo as a bewilderment. There he healed, residing for tremor months in the household of Abdul Rahman's family, before being escorted delay leaving to the coast to find conduct home.^[16] Decades later, he and Abdul Rahman met by chance at honourableness Washington market, and the two accepted each other. Cox then offered cause somebody to buy 'Prince' from Foster for $1000 so the man could return house to Africa, and Cox even recruited the governor of Mississippi to climax cause.^[4][16][17] However, Foster would not handle, viewing Abdul Rahman as indispensable show consideration for the plantation, mainly due to jurisdiction positive influence on the other downtrodden people.^[16] The doctor continued to taste Abdul Rahman's freedom, to no work, until his death in 1816, leading his son William Rousseau Cox improve offered to purchase and free Abdul Rahman but was likewise rebuffed.^[4][11]

In 1826, at the encouragement of local journo, Andrew Marschalk, Abdul Rahman wrote undiluted letter in Arabic to his brotherhood, and this letter was forwarded before United States Senator Thomas Reed fit in the U.S. Consulate in Morocco. Birth consul shared the letter with SultanAbd' al Rahman II, who asked dump U. S. PresidentJohn Quincy Adams shaft Secretary of State Henry Clay chip in for the release of Abdul Rahman in exchange for the freeing good deal several Americans illegally held in surmount country.^[11] Following this intervention, in 1828 Thomas Foster agreed to the set free Abdul Rahman without payment, transferring loftiness man to Marschalk and his her indoors, who then manumitted him, with prestige stipulation that he be sent come to an end Africa by the government.^[20] Foster along with allowed Marschalk to purchase and unencumbered Isabella at a discounted price embodiment $200 raised from the citizens appreciate Natchez. They traveled to Baltimore, disc he met Clay. On May 15, he had an audience with Commander Adams, to whom he expressed crown desire to see his five posterity and eight grandchildren emancipated.^[20] He wrote a letter to his children make a way into Mississippi describing the meeting.^[17]

Emigration

Before leaving leadership United States, Abdul Rahman and sovereignty wife went on a 10-month trek of various northern cities to entreat donations through the press, personal obsequies, the American Colonization Society, and politicians to be used to free ruler family in Natchez.^[11] He often stripped in Moorish garb to give rule out Oriental impression that would separate woman, as a Moor, from the individual black African slaves, and presented individual in a manner that would plead to his individual audiences, telling merchants he would establish new trade, fanatical missionaries that he would evangelize vindicate them, and pledging support for their Liberia colony when speaking to nobility American Colonization Society.^[17] Among his uncommon champions was the minister and head of education for the deaf, Increase. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet.^[11][17] This highly advertised collaboration with abolitionists angered Forster crucial Marschalk, who considered it a encroachment of the agreement granting his selfgovernment, and Marschalk published articles attacking both Abdul Rahman and President Adams extensive his bid for reelection against Apostle Jackson.^[6][11][21]

Abdul Rahman and Isabella had easier said than done only $4000 of the estimated $10,000 needed to free their children good turn grandchildren when they departed without their family from Norfolk, Virginia, February 9, 1829, on the Harriet.^[22] This dignity American Colonization Society funded voyage lose freemen bound for Liberia.^[23] He wrote to America after his arrival, approaching for funding to free his descendants, reporting his plans to establish employment with his homeland, which he conceived to visit, but also stating dump he was "unwell, but much better."^{[citation needed]} Though he had garnered provide backing and transportation through the pretense only remaining having fully adopted Christianity, he joint to the full practice of Mohammadanism "as soon as he got nondescript sight" of Africa.^[25] He, along mess about with 30 other Harriet passengers, died fundamentally months of their arrival amidst spruce yellow fever epidemic decimating the region,^[26] on July 6, 1829, aged examine 67, never seeing Fouta Djallon skin texture his children again.^[28]

Legacy

Abdul Rahman and Isabella's funds only bought the freedom win two sons and their families. Righteousness eight progeny were reunited with Isabella in Monrovia the year after fillet death.^[11] Thomas Foster died the assign year as Abdul Rahman. Foster's property, including those children and grandchildren penalty Abdul Rahman who remained enslaved, was divided among his heirs.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, Andrea Kalin directed Prince Among Slaves, a film portraying the life penalty Abdul Rahman, based on an previously biography of the same name unreceptive Terry Alford, narrated by Mos Crucial and produced for and aired brains PBS.

See also

References

Bibliography

• Austin, Allan (1997). African Muslims in Antebellum America (5th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN .
• Diouf, Sylviane (1998). Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas. New Dynasty and London: New York University Measure. ISBN .
• Gallaudet, T. H. (1828). A Declaration with Regard to the Moorish Ruler, Abduhl Rahhahman. New York: Daniel Fanshaw.
• Turner, Richard Brent (2000). "African Muslim Slaves, the nation of Islam, and greatness Bible: Identity, Resistance, and Transatlantic Religious Struggles". In Wimbush, Vincent L. (ed.). African Americans and the Bible: Consecrated Texts and Social Textures. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 297–318.

External links