Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom

by William Craft, Ellen Craft

William and Ellen Craft were slaves from Macon who gained celebrity after a daring public escape in December 1848. The light-skinned Ellen Craft posed as a white woman traveling with her valet. The bold ruse worked and the couple were able to elude slave hunters and eventually cross the Mason-Dixon line. After many trials and tribulations, including pretending to be a married interracial couple, they eventually settled outside Savannah, Georgia where they were able to purchase land. Running a Th