Challenging cultural paradigms is seldom a simple task, and it is particularly difficult for a twelve-year-old. Yet, in 1857, Samuel Dawson, the son of a slaveholder in Texas, does just that. He begins by befriending Will, an enslaved boy his father had recently purchased. Samuel’s father objects to the friendship but can offer no rational reasons to end the friendship.
Defying his father is only the beginning. Samuel soon defies the conventional wisdom that Black people are subhuman. He defies laws that forbid teaching slaves to read and write. Samuel refuses to accept ideas he found irrational. He trusts his own judgment, and he acts accordingly, no matter who or how many disagreed.
When the Civil War begins, Samuel hopes for a Union victory and the abolition of slavery. A Confederate victory, he realizes, would mean the continuance of that vile institution. With the outcome of the war beyond his control, Samuel focuses on what he could control—life on the plantation that he inherited at sixteen. By the end of the war, Samuel has built a thriving community on his plantation, and everyone’s life has improved.
All Men are Created Equal is an inspiring story of courage and independence if the face of monumental challenges. Samuel Dawson shows what could have been and should have been.
All Men are Created Equal is available on Amazon.
Click here to read Chapter 1 for FREE.
