Essay on thornton blackburn

Black history month also known as african-american history month in America is the month of February. It’s a month set aside to learn, honor and celebrate the bravery and achievements of black men and women though out history. Black history month first started as Negro history week in 1926 by a black scholar named Dr. Carter G Woodson. Then in 1976 Negro history week developed into black history month. Black history month allows each and every person to celebrate the rich traditions of African Americans/Canadians while at the same time remembering their contributions to the world. It an opportunity to correct many of the misunderstandings of African American culture. Most importantly black history month is a time for us to realize that there is only one race in the whole world and that is the human race. That is why we should celebrate the black history month and remember the tragic events black people endured to get to freedom. To know and remember so it doesn’t happen again to people like Thornton Blackburn. Thornton was a slave who was enslave and escaped many times. He is famous for his highly publicized escape.
Thornton was born into slavery in Maysville, Kentucky, United States. No one knows for sure when he was born, but guessed that he was probably born in 1812. Thornton was born into slavery so little is known about his childhood and there are no pictures either. All we know is that his mother is a slave named Sibby born in Virginia in about 1776. Thornton was sold away from his mother at age 3 in 1815 and sold again in 1825 at age 13 down the river to Hardinsburg, Kentucky. Four years later his owner dies and he is taken to work in Louisville. (Age 17) At age 19 he meets his wife Lucie and before she could be sold down the river in New Orleans, they plan a daring and successful escape. The young couple runs away broad daylight on the steamboat Versailles up the Mississippi to Detroit, Michigan where they lived an uneasy two years as fugitives. (An escaped person hiding in order to avoid being captured) It is unknown when he married Lucie, all that is know is Lucie was also a slave and they once worked under the same master. Lucie and Thornton didn’t have any children together. They were separated when they were captured in 1833 by slave hunters; arrested as runaways. Although Michigan is a free state racial segregation (separating people by race; racism) still existed and it seems authorities were still willing to imprison those who escaped captivity. They are to return to the south to be enslaved again. While the couple was jailed in separate cells, Thornton bound, shackled, and wasn’t allowed visitors which made him difficult to save. However his wife Lucie was allowed visitors, one of whom was Ms. George French. During her visit she was able to swap clothes and place with Lucie allowing her to walk out of the prison and cross the Detroit River to a place in Amherst burg, Ont. When the slave catchers discovered the imposter, Ms. French was threatened to permanently take Lucie’s place; meaning to be sent to Kentucky to be enslaved, but she was released later that day. Thornton escaped in a rather unexpected way. The day before he was to return to Kentucky an angry crowd stormed into the jail, overpowering the guards and managed to release Blackburn. This is called the Blackburn Riot of 1833 it was the first racial uprising in Detroit history. A man called Lightfoot slipped Thornton a pistol which he pointed to the custodians. (The guards) Thornton then ran into a coach and promised to shot anyone who tried to enslave him again. In the confusion that followed

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