William J. Anderson facts for kids

William J. Anderson was an amazing person who wrote a book about his life. He shared his experiences as a slave, showing how difficult and unfair life was for many people during that time. His story helps us understand an important part of history.

William's Early Life

William J. Anderson was born around June 2, 1811. His mother, Susan, was a free woman, meaning she was not a slave. However, his father, Lewis Anderson, was a slave who belonged to a man named Mr. Shelton.

After his father passed away, William's mother had to sell him to a man named Mr. Vance. Mr. Vance lived about ten miles away from their home. Life with Mr. Vance was very hard for William. He was very eager to learn how to read and write. He would often secretly borrow or even take books from white boys to practice these skills.

When Mr. Vance found out about William's secret learning, he would punish him with whips and kicks. But even with these harsh punishments, William never gave up his dream of learning. He was determined to read and write.

Learning and Faith

William was a very religious person and a devoted Christian. He believed that if he lived a good Christian life, he would go to heaven. He thought this was very important because he had never been treated well on Earth. He hoped heaven would be a place where he could finally be happy and find peace.

After a lot of hard work and practice, William finally learned how to read. His next goal was to learn how to write. Late at night, after his master was asleep, William would practice his writing by the light of a candle. He even started teaching short lessons on Sundays to some of the other slaves on the plantation. A plantation was a large farm where slaves were forced to work.

However, the white people on the plantation soon found out about these secret meetings. They quickly stopped William and the other slaves from meeting again to learn.

A New Master and a Long Journey

One night, William's next master took him away without warning. He was handcuffed and taken to a new plantation. William wasn't allowed to gather any of his belongings or even say goodbye to his friends or family. In his book, William described this new master as "one of those cunning, fox-like slaveholders," meaning he was tricky and dishonest.

Next, William was taken to a slave market. Here, he was sold to a trader from the southern United States. On November 6, 1826, this trader tied together about sixty to seventy slaves, including William. They were forced to walk a very long distance, from Eastern Tennessee all the way to Western Tennessee.

This difficult journey took two whole months. As William and the other slaves walked, they sang a song called "Farewell, ye children of the Lord." When they finally reached their destination, the men and women were separated. They had to stand in lines, waiting to be sold to new owners.