The Life of Josiah Henson: An Inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom

Josiah Henson

The Life of Josiah Henson follows the life of Josiah Henson, once enslaved man born on a Maryland farm. Following his life in bondage, he faces the possibility of separation from his family. He flees with his wife and children on feet from Kentucky to Ohio. Josiah Henson tended to respond to questions about whether he resembled the fictional character of Uncle Tom, Harriet Beecher Stowe very publicly acknowledged that the character was based on Henson’s own story. He pointed out that Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a work of fiction.

Henson was capable of telling his own story with clarity and effect. Unlike many narratives of escaped slaves, which tended to be ‘as told to’ stories, Henson himself was literate, and wrote his own autobiography. Later in his life he becomes the leader of the Afro-Canadian community and opens the first manual trade school for enslaved people. Henson’s depicts the harsh conditions and reality of slavery and how his endurance was key to freedom.