Making Freedom: the Extraordinary Life of Venture Smith

The Collections have again been tapped for a ground breaking book: Making Freedom: The Extraordinary Life of Venture Smith (Includes Bibliographical References and Index) "is the first in-depth exploration of the life of Venture Smith (1728–1805), a New England slave who was sold into bondage as a boy in Africa and labored for nearly a quarter-century before purchasing his own freedom and transforming himself into a highly respected American citizen." Many of the events in this remarkable life all took place within 50 miles of Mystic Seaport and in addition to revealing the trials of 18th century slavery also tell a story of how integral the maritime experience was to the local inhabitants.