In The Refugee, or, The narratives of fugitive slaves in Canada, published in 1856, Dan Josiah Lockhart, a formerly enslaved man, tells the story of his escape from slavery first to Pittsburgh, where his former owner attempted to kidnap him, and eventually to Canada, where his story was recorded. This narrative, along with other slave narratives, offer a composite portrait of authors’ self-styled personal stories. The amanuensis’ interests, lived experiences, and editing choices, as well as their social relations and expectations shaped the relationship and conversation with the authors. Although the narratives aren’t unmediated autobiographies, they are no less authentic and are just as fruitful a source for reconstructing historical experience.
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