Elizabeth Ramirez

HIST1301
Ms. Chandler
21 November, 2016

Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture Smith

The Narrative of the Life and adventures of Venture Smith, an African Native, which was

written by Venture Smith, it takes place from1820 to 1855 during the Antebellum Era. Venture

Smiths life is shown from a son of a Prince of Dukandra to his life as a slave and how he

became a freeman. His life and his experiences are told in three different chapters. Chapter 1

starts off with a brief description of Smiths life before becoming a slave and how life was in his

home country, Africa. Chapter 3 ends on how he bought freedom for his family, and it ends with

a 69 year old that briefly describes his infirmities that he has encounter over the years.

Smith went through many situations that were not easy for him at an early age. At this

time polygamy was accepted in his home country and his father did practice it, but it had to be

accepted by the eldest wife and in this case it was not. Smiths mother decided to run away from

their home. For this reason, Smith and his mother travelled a great distance across the dessert and

Smith was left with a farmer. His mother goes back to Dukandra and resolves her differences

with her husband, and the Prince of Dukandra sent for his child and was received with lots of

love. When Smith was six years old his father had received a message of an enemy invading and

that they were taking away the people and taking away their right and liberty. They enemy was

referring to the white people. The whites wanted to negotiate to not enslave the people if they

received a huge payment, but even though they received the payment they did not respect what

they had said before. Everyone was taken away and Smiths father was torture to death. Slavery

was increasing due to tobacco and cotton crops. (Chandler 2016)

 The experiences that Smith lived as a slave made him realize that life is not easy and that

to get freedom there are many things that have to be sacrificed. For example, Smith was sold

multiple times sometimes with people worse than others. Smith worked really hard to but his

own freedom, and he did many different kinds of jobs such as farming, fishing and cutting wood.

He was separated from his wife and kids, but eventually of all the sacrifices that he did he

finally was able to buy freedom for his sons and his wife. Smith realize that determination is

needed to accomplish anything that a person can want. Smiths situation was unusual from other

slaves because not everyone had the opportunity to buy their own freedom and others freedom

and to be able to own their own land. (pg. 22)

Smith was not a typical slave because at a young age he felt that he owed loyalty to his

masters. For instance, He then laid aside trying to get them. But not withstanding he appeared to

give up trying to obtain them from me, yet I mistrusted that he would take some time when I was

off my guard, either in the daytime or at night, to get them, therefore, I slung them round my

neck, and in the daytime concealed them in my bosom, and at night I always slept with them

under me, that no person might take them from me without my being apprized of it.(pg.14) this

helped his master to trust him and give him bigger tasks. Venture Smith had determination to get

his freedom and his familys. He never gave up even though he had to go though many hardships

and sacrifices to get enough money to by his familys freedom.

The author, venture Smith is trying to let his readers that slavery is inhumane and brutal.

Smith knew how difficult life was to live as a slave, but he was able to overcome this horrible

obstacles and was able to buy his freedom. The narrative was written specifically for slaves

because Smith talks about his obstacles and what he did to overcome them. Also Smith believe

that knowledge was really important because he knew that he had been cheated many times
because he did not know much. Masters did not allow slaves to learn how to read and write

because they feared that they would cause a revolt against slaveholders. Knowledge is power.

Slaveholders argued that slaves that if they were freed they would be a danger to themselves and

to others. (Tindall & Shi 2016, 456)

Overall this book was really interesting and shocking to read because I was able learn

what slaves went through in the era. This book has given me a better understanding of the

horrors that slaves had to go through every day. Smith had to go through many hardships at a

really young age, but they made him into someone that had determination and accomplish many

things such as being able to buy his own and his familys freedom, and also bought his own land

to cultivate on. I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to better understand the

struggles and obstacles that slaves encounter during this era. I would give this book a 5 star

rating.

Bibliography

Shi, David Emory and George Brown Tindall. America: A Narrative History, 10th ed. New York
City: W.W. Norton, 2016.
Chandler, Kimberley. The Old South Lecture, HAIS, Houston, TX, 11/09/16
Smith, Venture. Narrative of Life of Venture Smith, a Native of Africa. New London: Lee Office,
1798