Were all slaves illiterate? Not necessarily

Here's an interesting story from the PBS NewsHour about a Muslim slave from West Africa who was kidnapped and brought to Ameria in the 1800s.

The slave, Omar Ibn Said, wrote his autobiography in Arabic so it could not be edited or censored by masters or even abolitionists.

Said begins his autobiography with a quote from the Quran that says only God has true possession of human beings.

It's an interesting story because it dispels the idea that slaves were illiterate or incapable of culture.

The Library of Congress digitized the autobiography. 

It also has a link to a podcast called the Long Journey of Omar Ibn Said and a video about the preservation of Said's manuscript.

Finally, you can read a blog post about how to use the manuscript in the classroom.