The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave

Supplement by the Editor. To which is added, the Narrative of Asa-Asa, Captured African is a nonfiction slave narrative published in 1831. The composite text includes material by four authors. The first section is a preface by the editor, Scottish abolitionist Thomas Pringle. The second and main section is the autobiographical account of Mary Prince, a Black woman who lived through enslavement in the Caribbean. This is followed by a “Supplement to the History of Mary Prince,” also by Pringle. The last section is the “Narrative of Asa-Asa,” the autobiographical account of Louis Asa-Asa, an African man who was also enslaved. The History of Mary Prince—Prince’s autobiographical section of the text—is believed to be the first slave narrative by a Black woman. Having experienced enslavement firsthand, Prince had her narrative composed to make the horrors of this system known to the British public. Her autobiography is transcribed from her oral account by a writer named Susanna Strickland Moodie. 

This guide refers to the 1831 F. Westley and A. H. Davis edition.

Content Warning: The source material and study guide discuss enslavement, extreme violence, and murder. This guide uses person-first language to discuss enslaved people, but terms such as “master” and “slave” are included in quoted material. This guide follows the author’s historical use of the terms “sold” and “property.” The term refers to the inhumane concept of regarding enslaved peoples as “chattel,” or personal portable property that could be sold at will.

Summary

In the Preface, Thomas Pringle explains that it was Mary Prince’s idea to compose the book so that the people of England would know about the horrors of slavery. The Preface describes the process of documenting her story. Prince recounted her autobiography orally; then, Susanna Strickland Moodie transcribed it, and Pringle and Joseph Philips edited and fact-checked it. Though the text is edited, Pringle maintains that it is faithful to Prince’s account. He also says that the proceeds of the narrative’s sale will go to Prince. Finally, he mentions that the “Narrative of Asa-Asa, a Captured African” is also attached.

Prince’s narrative begins with her birth in Bermuda with the status of an enslaved person. When she was a young girl, her enslaver was Captain Williams. Though he was abusive, Prince loved Mrs. Williams and their daughter, Betsey, and was sad to leave them when she was sent to the home of Mrs. Pruden for a time. Prince cared for Mrs. Pruden’s children until Mrs. Williams died, and Captain Williams sold Prince to the cruel Captain I– and his wife. Prince was required to perform domestic labor with them for several years until she was sold to Mr. D– to do grueling labor collecting salt in his salt ponds on Turk’s Island. This is most likely the island known as Grand Turk today.

Desperate to leave Turk’s Island, Prince convinced Mr. D– to let her go to Antigua with Mr. Wood, who later purchased her. While they were in Antigua, however, Prince became very sick with rheumatism and at one point was unable to move. Her enslavers showed her very little mercy and accused her of laziness when she could not work. She eventually recovered, though not fully. One day around Christmastime, Prince visited a Methodist prayer meeting of other enslaved people. She was moved by this experience and soon converted, joining the Moravian church. Soon after her conversion, she met Daniel James, a free Black man who eventually became her husband.

The Woods took Prince with them on a trip to England. When her sickness interfered with her labor, they threatened to kick her out. Exhausted by their abuse, Prince eventually left. She was able to do so because she was a free woman in England, according to British law. This enraged the Woods, who considered her ungrateful. Prince found help from a local church and the Anti-Slavery Society, eventually becoming a paid servant in Pringle’s home. The narrative ends with Prince underscoring the injustice of slavery and the importance of ending it.

Prince’s autobiography is followed by a “Supplement to the History of Mary Prince by the Editor,” wherein Pringle provides a detailed account of his advocacy for Prince’s freedom. Though she was legally free in England, she could not return to her husband in Antigua without Mr. Wood’s granting her manumission. The “Supplement” follows Pringle’s unsuccessful efforts to get the stubborn Wood to comply. He cites letters from Wood that misrepresent the facts and Prince’s character. Using evidence and argumentation, Pringle refutes every false claim that Wood makes. He also includes testimonies on Prince’s behalf from various individuals who knew Prince or Mr. and Mrs. Wood. Pringle emphasizes that not only should Prince be freed, but enslavement in general should be abolished.

The text concludes with the appended “Narrative of Louis Asa-Asa, A Captured African.” This text tells the life story of Asa-Asa, a man who was captured in Africa by another predatory African nation that was collaborating with Europeans in the slave trade. Asa-Asa and other captives were taken on a French ship to London, where lawyer and abolitionist George Stephen intercepted it. Asa-Asa mourns his lost home and family but is glad to be in England, where he is free. He expresses his opinion that enslavement should be abolished.