Abina Mansah

1631 Words7 Pages
During the 19th century, much of Africa was occupied by the British Empire. Society was changing and becoming more open to the abolition of the slave trade. As the slave trade ended, the British still controlled many locations within Africa and established colonies. The British imposed their customs to try to “civilize” the Africans. For some Africans slavery still existed in areas not occupied by the British. Many male slaves ran away from their masters, went to court, or escaped to free locations the British controlled. This left African women as easy targets for slave holders. Women were captured and sold into slavery after the British announced it was illegal. These women were sold to powerful men and put to work in homes or to harvest…show more content…
She had been a slave working on farms in the Asante providences. She was brought to the town of Saltpond, in the gold coast and is sold by her former master to a male named Qamina Eddoo. Eddoo was a palm oil planter and owned many young slave girls. Eddoo gave Abina to his sister Eccoah were she was put to work doing chores and cooking meals. One day Eddoo told Abina that she would marry a male named Tando. Abina refused to marry to Tando because she did not know him. She fled to Cape Coast, whereby law slavery was illegal. She found a job working for a lawyer named James Davis. Abina convinced Davis to try to assist her prosecute Eddoo for enslaving her. Davis agreed to aid Abina and went before a British judge named William Melton. Melton was a judge who relied on slave-owners to try to help resolve problems with enslavement. Often, Melton was manipulated by the slave owners who gained membership on the jury (Getz and Clarke…show more content…
Many African women experienced enslavement and had no voice to share and express their opinions. Like other Africans during the time, they all had to realize that the British who conquered them were superior and were powerful men who dominated society. Abina learned this the hard way when she lost her court case against the “important men”. Her story and experience can be classified as a world history. In history we always get to her the stories of the powerful people and often we never get full insight of the less important people in history. Abina’s story brought to life the silent voices in history. We got to learn from her perspective and viewpoint of how colonialism and imperialism affected her society and way of life. She was woman who wanted freedom and liberty to do what she wanted without anyone telling her not to. However, she was ahead of her time, because men controlled society and oppressed African women. Her story is a true history that should be taught in every world history
Show More
Related

  • Analysis: Abina And The Important Men

    1447 Words  | 6 Pages

    novel Abina and the Important Men, illustrates a historical story that is based off of a woman named Abina Mansah who was wrongfully enslaved and testifies for her freedom. It takes place in 1876, in West Africa where she is was enslaved and escapes to the Cape Coast a British controlled region apart of the Gold Coast; which is known for being rich in resources other than gold itself. When she escapes, she becomes a servant for James Davis, a young interpreter for the colonial courts (Abina: 10).

    Read More

More about Abina Mansah

Open Document