The Book of Negroes (miniseries) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Book of Negroes
Genre	Drama
Based on	The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
Screenplay by	Clement Virgo Lawrence Hill
Directed by	Clement Virgo
Starring	Aunjanue Ellis Kyle M. Hamilton Lyriq Bent Cuba Gooding Jr. Louis Gossett Jr. Ben Chaplin Allan Hawco Greg Bryk Jane Alexander
Music by	Phillip Miller
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	6
Production
Producer(s)	Damon D'Oliveira Clement Virgo
Cinematography	Giulio Biccari
Editor(s)	Susan Shipton Kye Meechan
Distributor	Entertainment One Television
Release
Original network	CBC BET
Original release	January 7 (2015-01-07) – February 11, 2015 (2015-02-11)

The Book of Negroes is a 2015 TV miniseries. It is based on a 2007 novel by Canadian writer Lawrence Hill. The story is inspired by real events during the American Revolutionary War. At that time, the British freed and helped move about 3,000 former slaves. These people were known as Black Loyalists. They had left their American rebel masters to join the British side. The British then took them to Nova Scotia, Canada, to start new lives. Their names were written down in a special document called the Book of Negroes.

The miniseries tells the story of a made-up woman named Aminata Diallo. She is one of the Black Loyalists listed in this book. Aminata was taken from her home in West Africa as a young girl and sold into slavery. She was first held in South Carolina. She later escaped to the British in New York City. There, she gained her freedom and was eventually moved to Nova Scotia. Clement Virgo and Lawrence Hill worked together to write the six-part miniseries. Virgo also directed the show.

The miniseries first aired on CBC in Canada on January 7, 2015. It then premiered on BET in the United States on February 16, 2015.

The Story of Aminata Diallo

In 1761, Aminata Diallo, an eleven-year-old girl, is taken from her village in West Africa. She is captured by agents of the Dutch trading company, V.O.C. On her journey, she meets Chekura, another boy from her region. He was also sold into slavery. Aminata and Chekura are forced onto a ship and taken to South Carolina to be sold. They are separated there, and Aminata is made to work on an indigo farm.

Chekura later finds Aminata again, and they get married. Their baby is taken and sold by Aminata's cruel slave master, Robinson Appleby. Aminata promises herself that she will find her child and return to her homeland one day.

A kind indigo inspector named Solomon Lindo buys Aminata from Appleby. He takes her to New York. Aminata escapes to the British side, as they control the city and have promised freedom to slaves who join them.

Working for Freedom

During the American Revolutionary War, Aminata is asked to help Sir John Clarkson. Her job is to write down the names of Black Loyalists in a ledger called The Book of Negroes. This book was a record of former slaves who were freed by the British. They had fled from their rebel masters. The British planned to move these Loyalists from New York City to Nova Scotia after the war. Black Loyalists were given land there to start new lives.

Aminata faces more challenges in Nova Scotia. The weather is harsh, and there are not enough jobs. Tensions grow between white and Black communities. This leads to the Shelburne Riots. Aminata asks British people who are against slavery for help. They arrange for nearly 1,300 former slaves to travel from Nova Scotia to a new colony. This new place is called Freetown in Sierra Leone, West Africa. This journey allows Aminata to return to the continent where she was born.

Historical Background

The miniseries is based on the real historical document, the Book of Negroes. It also shows events from that time. Aminata in the story is Muslim. Some slaves taken from West Africa were Muslim, while others followed local religions.

Loyalists and the Book of Negroes

When the Patriots won the American Revolutionary War, many Loyalists decided to leave the Thirteen Colonies. Some had lost their property or faced attacks. The British Crown promised them land in Nova Scotia and other British colonies. Thousands of these refugees came through New York City. The British Army managed their departure, which ended on Evacuation Day in 1783.

The Book of Negroes was created to list the former slaves who could leave. It was put together by Samuel Birch, who gave his name to Birchtown, Nova Scotia. This was done under the orders of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester. An earlier promise, Dunmore's Proclamation in 1775, had offered freedom to slaves who left rebel masters and joined the British forces.

Real People in the Story

The writers of the series based Aminata's first owner, Appleby, on a business partner of Henry Laurens. Laurens led one of the biggest slave trading companies in the colonies. Solomon Lindo, the Jewish indigo inspector, was an ancestor of Chris Blackwell, who founded Island Records. "Daddy Moses" was based on Moses Wilkinson. Samuel Fraunces, who owned the historic Fraunces Tavern, is shown as one of Aminata's supporters in New York.

John Clarkson, a naval officer, helped the Black Loyalist community in Nova Scotia. He was the younger brother of Thomas Clarkson, a key figure in ending slavery in the British Empire. Because former slaves faced difficulties in London and Nova Scotia, Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce helped create the Sierra Leone Company. This company aimed to resettle some of these Black Loyalists in a new colony in West Africa.

Lieutenant Clarkson's job in Nova Scotia was to find volunteers for this new settlement. He worked with Thomas Peters and other Black Loyalists. They gathered almost 1,200 people who wanted to go to Sierra Leone for better chances. After a difficult journey across the Atlantic, 15 ships arrived at the colony's port in March 1792. This group, known as the Nova Scotian Settlers, founded Freetown, the capital city.

Aminata's journey to London and the writing of her life story are similar to real slave narratives. These were life stories written by people like Ignatius Sancho and Olaudah Equiano. Her daughter's time working in London was based on the history of the Black Poor.

Making the Miniseries

The miniseries was made from Lawrence Hill's novel. The novel itself is named after the real Book of Negroes document. This document listed 3,000 African-American slaves who escaped to the British during the American Revolution. They were freed and taken by ship to Nova Scotia to receive land.

Clement Virgo and producer Damon D'Oliveira bought the rights to Hill's novel in 2009. They first planned to make a movie. In 2010, CBC and BET joined to turn the movie script into a six-part miniseries.

Filming started in February 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. They also filmed in different places around Nova Scotia, Canada. For example, the Fortress of Louisbourg was used to look like 18th-century New York City. Lunenburg harbor stood in for the historic New York harbor. Shelburne's Dock Street was used for scenes set in historic Shelburne. Filming finished by early June 2014.

Before it aired on TV, the series had special screenings at events like the Marché International des Programmes de Communication.

Cast Members

Episodes Guide

See also

• List of films featuring slavery