The dichotomy between those who are slaves and those who are free is indeed very narrow. Arguably, the distance between the two is only bridged by an individual's ability to realize their innate humanity. For example, a slave who has only known the taste of the whip and the bite of chains may be more in touch with his humanity than a poor and free man who has reached the abyss of human degradation. Likewise, an enterprising individual who is never hampered by the woes of abolition might have a better understanding of the value of life than a humble slave. In 1859, Harriet E. Wilson attempted to explore this concept in her book Our Nig, or the Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. As the title suggests, Our Nig is the story of the life of Frado, a mulatto woman born free, abandoned by her mother and delivered to a life of servitude. The irony of Frado's life is that although she is a free black living in the North, her lifestyle seems to closely resemble that of her enslaved counterparts in the South. In retrospect, however, many Southern slaves were able to enjoy elements of freedom, both mental and physical, that Frado, a free black man, never received. Between 1619 and 1862, it was very common to encounter free men or enslaved black people in America. However, it was something special to meet a man who was both free and black at that time. However, as Frado soon learned, “freedom from slavery did not mean equal citizenship” (Higginbotham 160). The mentality of the elite, the white ruling class, was to discourage free blacks in every way imaginable: "not only have we created laws to expel them at will, but we hinder them in a thousand ways." (Tocquville). Free communities A...... middle of paper ...... Riet Wilson's Our Nig, was one of those individuals who enjoyed the fruits of freedom from birth. However, Frado never had the opportunity to participate because she found herself enslaved, deprived of contact with her people and broken in spirit, destitute and envious of the slaves. Works Cited Franklin, John Hope and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. From slavery to freedom. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. The great debaters. Real. Denzel Washington. Perf. Denzel Washington, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollet. Lions Gate, 2007. Tocqueville, Alexis De, Harvey Claflin Mansfield and Delba Winthrop. Democracy in America. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2000. Print. Wilson, Harriet E. and Henry Louis. Doors. Our Nig, Or, Sketch of the Life of a Free Negro: in a Two-Story White House, North: Showing that the Shadows of Slavery Fall Even There. New York: Vintage, 2002. Print.