Africa is My Home, was inspired by a true account. It is the compelling story of a child who arrives in America on the slave ship Amistad —and eventually makes her way back home to Africa.
One of four children held captive on the schooner La Amistad, 9- year old Margru had been initially sold by her father in exchange for rice during a terrible drought in her homeland of Mendeland (now called Sierra Leone). She was then brought to Cuba by slave traders, where she was brought aboard the slave ship, La Amistad. The captives aboard the ship mutinied and took the ship north to the United States. The ship and surviving captives were discovered off the coast of Long Island, NY and taken into custody by the U.S. Navy. The captives were tried in New Haven, CT and eventually their case went to the U. S. Supreme Court where the case is argued in their favor by John Quincy Adams.
After gaining freedom through a victory in the United States legal system, Margru and the freed captives were welcomed by abolitionists in Farmington, CT, where they stayed in 1841 to raise money for their eventual return trip to Africa. During this time, Margru stayed at the home of Rev. Noah Porter along with his family at 116 Main Street in Farmington. Rev. Porter was the minister of the Congregational Church in Farmington. His daughter, Sarah Porter, would go on to found the venerable Miss Porter’s School in 1843. The freed captives returned to Sierra Leone in November 1841. After that, Margru was the only one to return to the U.S. She changed her name to Sarah Margru Kinson and attended Oberlin College in Ohio before her final return to her African homeland.
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This book is recommended for ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 64 pages
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Publisher: Candlewick (October 8, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0763650382
Monica Edinger is an educator and reviews children’s books for the New York Times, The Horn Book, and other publications. She began her teaching career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone. Monica Edinger lives and works in New York City. An inveterate learner, she was a 1997 American Memory Fellow at the Library of Congress and has received three National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships to study children’s literature. Monica has been an active participant on the Child_lit Internet discussion group as well as other online communities for many years. She presents regularly at national conferences and is the author of two other books and numerous articles.
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