"From the Darkness Cometh the Light, or Struggles for Freedom" by Lucy A. Delaney is the gripping autobiography of a woman's fight against the chains of slavery and her family's relentless pursuit of liberation in 19th-century America. Delaney recounts her harrowing experiences, from being kidnapped and sold into bondage as a young girl to enduring the cruelties and injustices of a system designed to strip her of her humanity, while vividly portraying her mother's unwavering determination to escape slavery and the legal battles fought to secure Delaney's freedom after wrongful imprisonment. It's a powerful tale of resilience, hope, and the enduring strength of family bonds, as Delaney reclaims her identity and champions the rights of African Americans seeking freedom and justice.
From the Darkness Cometh the Light, or Struggles for Freedom
By Lucy A. (Lucy Ann) Delaney
Kidnapped and enslaved, a young girl and her family battle against unimaginable odds to find freedom and justice in a divided nation.
Summary
About the AuthorLucy Delaney was an African American seamstress, slave narrator, and community leader. She was born into slavery and was primarily held by the Major Taylor Berry and Judge Robert Wash families. As a teenager, she was the subject of a freedom lawsuit, because her mother lived in Illinois, a free state, longer than 90 days. According to Illinois state law, enslaved people that reside in Illinois for more than 90 days should be indentured and freed. The country's rule of partus sequitur ventrem asserts that if the mother was free at the child's birth, the child should be free. After Delaney's mother, Polly Berry, filed a lawsuit for herself, she filed a lawsuit on her daughter's behalf in 1842. Delaney was held in jail for 17 months while awaiting the trial.
Lucy Delaney was an African American seamstress, slave narrator, and community leader. She was born into slavery and was primarily held by the Major Taylor Berry and Judge Robert Wash families. As a teenager, she was the subject of a freedom lawsuit, because her mother lived in Illinois, a free state, longer than 90 days. According to Illinois state law, enslaved people that reside in Illinois for more than 90 days should be indentured and freed. The country's rule of partus sequitur ventrem asserts that if the mother was free at the child's birth, the child should be free. After Delaney's mother, Polly Berry, filed a lawsuit for herself, she filed a lawsuit on her daughter's behalf in 1842. Delaney was held in jail for 17 months while awaiting the trial.
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