Josiah Henson
The Prime Minister of Great Britain threw him a surprise banquet.
Earl Grey offered him a job.
The Archbishop of Canterbury wept after hearing his story.
President Rutherford B. Hayes entertained him at the White House.
Queen Victoria invited him to Windsor Castle.
He won a medal at the first World’s Fair in London.
He was the first African American to appear on a Canadian stamp.
He was a Methodist Episcopal elder with a 300-mile district under his care.
He rescued 118 slaves, including his brother.
He helped build a 500-person freeman settlement, called Dawn, which was known as one of the final stops on the Underground Railroad.
Inspired by his story, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a novel that helped spark the Civil War and led to the Emancipation Proclamation.
But before all that, Josiah Henson was a slave for 42 years...
The Road to Dawn
This sweeping biography about the man who was the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is an epic tale of courage and bravery in the face of unimaginable trials.
The Road to Dawn tells the improbable story of Josiah Henson-a dynamic, driven man with exceptional intelligence and unyielding principles, who overcame incredible odds to escape from slavery and improve the lives of hundreds of freedmen throughout his long life. He was immortalized by Harriet Beecher Stowe in her 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin and catapulted to international fame, though his story has been lost to history. Until now.
In the first major biography of Josiah Henson ever written, The Road to Dawn chronicles Henson's forty-two years spent in bondage and his eventual escape with his wife and four young children, carrying the youngest two on his broken shoulders for 600 miles, eventually settling with his family as a free man across the border in Canada. Once there, Henson rescued 118 more slaves, including his own brother, and purchased land to build what would become one of the final stops on the Underground Railroad, a 500-person freeman settlement called Dawn.
Drawing from hundreds of source documents, dozens of expert interviews, and thousands of miles of travel, The Road to Dawn retraces Henson’s path from slavery to freedom and restores a hero of the abolitionist movement to his rightful place in history.
Redeeming Uncle Tom: The Documentary
Redeeming Uncle Tom: The Josiah Henson Story is a ground-breaking documentary that aims to restore a hero of the abolitionist movement to his rightful place in history. Including interviews with leading experts and Henson descendants, the film traces Josiah Henson’s harrowing journey from slavery in Maryland and Kentucky to freedom in Canada. Critically acclaimed actor Danny Glover narrates the voice of Josiah Henson in the documentary film.
Josiah Henson Foundation
Through resource creation, distribution, and ongoing events and initiatives, the JHF exists to make known the life and legacy of Josiah Henson. Learn how you can get involved.
Jared A. Brock
Jared A. Brock is the author of A Year of Living Prayerfully, Bearded Gospel Men, and The Road to Dawn. He’s happily married to his best friend, Michelle, runs a documentary production company, and is the director of Over 18, Red Light Green Light, and Redeeming Uncle Tom: The Josiah Henson Story. Jared has been interviewed on TODAY.com, CBS, CTV, CBC, 100 Huntley Street, and The 700 Club, and his writing has appeared in Esquire, Huffington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Elite Daily, and Writer’s Digest. He also writes regularly on Medium. Upon discovering Josiah’s cabin just a few hours from his home in Ontario, Brock set off on a 3,000-mile journey to re-trace Josiah’s journey from slavery to freedom.
Interested in having Jared Brock speak at your university, conference, religious institution, or community event? Here's what previous hosts are saying. Get in touch with us here or email contact@josiahhenson.com.