Freedom and Slavery
Amos Fortune, born At-mun, finds himself captured and sold into slavery in the North American colonies at the age of 15. He receives a document of manumission legally granting his freedom from his second enslaver at the age of 60, just two years after the Declaration of Independence and amid the American Revolutionary War. Born free, Amos understands the importance of freedom, yearning for it while enslaved and treasuring it after he achieves it…
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Dignity and Racism
As the son of the At-mun-shi people’s chief, Prince At-mun (later renamed Amos Fortune) expresses a lordly self-possession and dignity during the short part of his life lived in Africa, which he retains even after he’s captured and forced into enslavement in the North American colonies. It protects him from the dehumanizing effects of the way the white captors treat their victims; unlike the rest of his people, At-mun never forgets that he is a…
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Hard Work and Good Character
As an enslaved person, taken from his home in Africa to the North American colonies, Amos Fortune quickly learns that rewards like respect, freedom, and equality come from hard work. Applying himself to Celia Copeland’s lessons allows him to communicate and earn the regard and trust of the Copeland family, which in turn gives him the opportunity to roam Boston Harbor during his free time in search of his long-lost family. Amos’s second enslaver…
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Providence and Faith
Born free in Africa, Amos Fortune begins his life practicing a pagan religion. After his capture and forced enslavement in the North American colonies, he adopts the Christian faith of his enslavers. Faith and a trust in the work of providence thus form an important aspect of his story. He shows this through participation in the church, his professions of faith, and the way he understands and interprets his life through spirituals and Bible stories…
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