In this remarkable work, Terry Alford tells the story of Abd al Rahman Ibrahima, a Muslim slave who, in 1807, was recognized by an Irish ship's surgeon as the son of an African king who had saved his life many years earlier. "The Prince, " as he had become known to local Natchez, Mississippi residents, had been captured in war when he was 26 years old, sold to slave traders, and shipped to America. Slave though he was, Ibrahima was an educated, aristocratic...

In 1788, a slave ship sailed from the Gambia River with hundreds of men, women and children bound in chains. Eight months later, a handful of survivors were sold in Natchez, Mississippi. One of them made an astonishing claim: he was a prince of an African kingdom larger and more developed than the newly formed United States. The true story of an African prince who endured the humiliation of slavery without losing his dignity or hope of freedom.

Looks at the history of the Mississippi River Valley in the nineteenth century and the economy that developed there, powered by steam engines and slave labor.

Travel with young Abe Lincoln as he journeys up and down the "Father of Waters," the legendary Mississippi River. Sit alongside him as he navigates his flatboat over dams, past rapids, and through shallow water. Sail with him to the bustling port of New Orleans, and back to his home in Illinois. Along the way, you'll become familiar with his inner voice, as you share his deepest thoughts and feelings, and witness his struggle with the pressing ethical...