Fred Wilkins

From Slave to Master to Defendant Fred Wilkins

A dramatic and significant time in America's history resurfaces in this riveting tale of one man's unexpected journey from slave to master to defendant.



In 1833, Tobey, a young African American boy living in Baltimore, experiences his first hard lesson in injustice when his father is taken away in chains. A few years later, Tobey sees his mother beaten and taken away for teaching him to read. Twelve-year-old Tobey is now an orphan and a slave.



Tobey doesn't have much hope for freedom until years later in 1860, when Abraham Lincoln proposes separate colonization for slaves. Tobey sees a light in the future for him and his wife and twin girls, but with Lincoln's plans moving slowly, Tobey decides to take matter into his own hands.



The hatred for blacks spreads as the Civil War progresses and many people are out to catch runaway slaves. As Tobey carefully formulates his plan to get his family to freedom, one of his daughters' lives is shattered by a remorseless gang of white supremacists.



After seeing the remains of his fifteen-year-old daughter-and suffering decades worth of inequality and inhumane treatment-how far will Tobey go to seek revenge?