author

Charles Thompson

b. 1833

Born into slavery in Mississippi, he later became a preacher and told his own life story in a powerful memoir that gives a firsthand view of slavery and freedom. His writing is direct, personal, and deeply important as a witness to American history.

1 Audiobook

Biography of a Slave, Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson, a Preacher of the United Brethren Church, While a Slave in the South. Together with Startling Occurrences Incidental to Slave Life.

Biography of a Slave, Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson, a Preacher of the United Brethren Church, While a Slave in the South. Together with Startling Occurrences Incidental to Slave Life.

by Charles Thompson

About the author

Charles Thompson, born on March 3, 1833, near Rockford in Mississippi, is known for Biography of a Slave, published in 1875. In that book, he recounts his childhood in slavery, the separation of families, harsh treatment, and the religious life that helped sustain him.

Thompson later became a preacher in the United Brethren Church. His memoir stands out because it is both a spiritual testimony and a personal narrative of enslavement, written from lived experience rather than from a distance.

Today, his work is remembered as part of the tradition of slave narratives that preserved voices too often excluded from the historical record. It remains valuable for readers interested in American history, Black history, and autobiographical writing from the nineteenth century.