James William Charles Pennington - Essay Example

The History, and Origin of the Colored People. Pennington’s autobiographical account was then published under the title The Fugitive Blacksmith in 1849. James Pennington died in 1870 and was aged 63.Pennington in his memoir The Fugitive Blacksmith uses his life account to condemn the act of slavery; with involvements with the Abolitionist movement. He traces his convictions that claim slavery is immoral, and the basis of his argument is on what he saw as a young man on the horrors that were inflicted on his father.

While Pennington’s father was tending to shepherd duties, he saw his master come and beat his father mercilessly for something that was trivial and that sight never left Pennington the same again. Sometime after the cruel event that happened to his father, Pennington decided that he did not want to be a slave and opted to find a way to freedom (Alexander & Walter 501). In his quest for freedom, Pennington spent days hungry and faced lots of terror on his way northward in order to escape slavery.

One moral dilemma Pennington had been he could lay and thus claiming he was free in order to avoid being returned to his masters as he journeyed north. The more he lied the more they believed him, and as a result, Pennington found a chance to escape as he continued his journey. On arrival in Pennsylvania Pennington who was starved and exhausted had an encounter with a woman who offered him help with food, clothing, and shelter. During his six-month stay with the woman’s family, it is during that period that he learned to read and write.

Pennington’s education allowed him to join abolitionist causes as well as ponder on how to alleviate the suffering of many slaves who were still under their master’s captivity.In conclusion, Pennington’s history represents his life as both physical and spiritual, his treatment from slavery to freedom, his ignorance to wisdom and finally the importance of education, and how far education can take a person.