When Ellen and William Craft decided to escape from slavery in 1848, they had a daring and unusual plan. Ellen, who was light skinned, posed as a sickly young southern gentleman of means. William played the role of the young man’s slave, accompanying him on a journey to Philadelphia. Judith and Dennis Fradin’s history of the Crafts begins with their tense and dramatic flight to freedom and goes on to tell of their work as abolitionists and activists in the ensuing years. Facing potential capture and the possible return to slavery after passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, they eventually emigrated to England, where they continued to speak out against slavery while working at a boarding school and raising their family. They returned to the United States after the Civil War and started a school in the south for former slaves. Archival newspaper articles, photographs, and other visual matter accompany a fascinating volume that concludes with a heartening afterword documenting contemporary children who are descendants of the Crafts. (Ages 11–14)

What would it take for slaves to escape from slavery in the Deep South, 1,000 miles from freedom and then on to England during the period of the Fugitive Slave Act? For most slaves the thought of escape was unimaginable. But fear did not stop Ellen and William Craft from chasing freedom.

An inspiring and riveting story of two amazing people stopping at nothing to fight for freedom and racial equality, this thrilling true tale chronicles Ellen and William Craft's lives from their flight from slavery in Georgia to their rise to world-wide fame as heroes of the Abolitionist movement.

Illustrated with period artwork, newspaper clippings, and archival photographs, 5,000 Miles to Freedom captures the unforgiving realities of slave life, the political hatred between North and South, and, above all, the extraordinary achievements of this remarkable couple.

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