Introduction by Jane H. Pease and William H. Pease. Originally published in 1857, this Dover edition is a slightly corrected republication of the edition published in 1969 by Addison-Wesley Publishing (Reading, MA). Steward briefly describes his years in slavery, then how he won his freedom in 1815 when he was taken to New York, where there were emancipation laws, by his master. He then describes his long struggle to achieve security in the North and his decision to aid fugitive slaves. Ulitmately he supported a Canadian community of Americans who fled there to escape bondage. He describes achievements of many free blacks prior to the Civil War. A critical work in American history. Dover. Paper. 2004. NEW. $7.00