Young Benjamin Holmes, a slave in Charleston who has taught himself to read, reads Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to his fellow slaves in prison. Follows the story of Ben, a young boy born into slavery, and his quest to learn how to read despite it being illegal, his efforts coming to fruition when he reads the Emancipation Proclamation aloud to fellow slaves. A self-taught young slave astonishes his fellow prisoners by reading aloud the newspaper account of Lincoln’s new emancipation proclamation. Based on actual events.
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