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Mary Prince Quotes: Sources, Meanings & Themes

Browse quotations by Mary Prince with named works, context notes, meanings and recurring themes.

Sources

All 1 works represented in this collection

The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave1831 · 1 quotation
Leading recurring themes
Courage 1Truth 1Dignity 1Equality 1Freedom 1Rights 1Thought Provoking 1
Source identified1
I have been a slave—I have felt what a slave feels, and I know what a slave knows; and I would have all the good people in England to know it too, that they may break our chains, and set us free.
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“I have been a slave—I have felt what a slave feels, and I know what a slave knows; and I would have all the good people in England to know it too, that they may break our chains, and set us free.”

The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave · 1831
Meaning & context

Prince grounds her abolitionist appeal in lived experience, insisting that people who have not endured slavery should hear testimony from those who have.

Source details

The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave, Related by Herself, 1831. Prince’s oral account was taken down for publication; the passage explicitly explains why she wanted English readers to know what slavery felt like from an enslaved person’s perspective.