By Brett Nolan
mail@floridanewsline.com
The Mandarin Community Club proudly presents a compelling presentation by Dr. Susanna Ashton, author of “A Plausible Man: The True Story of the Escaped Slave Who Inspired Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” This event will illuminate the life of John Andrew Jackson, a fugitive slave whose brief stay in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s home in 1850 likely inspired her iconic novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” which galvanized the abolitionist movement and reshaped American history.
The event will take place on Friday, Sept. 19, at the historic Mandarin Community Club, 12447 Mandarin Road, with doors opening at 6 p.m. for a reception hosted by the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, offering a beer and wine bar alongside a selection of savory and sweet hors d’oeuvres, followed by Dr. Ashton’s presentation at 7 p.m.
Dr. Ashton, a professor of English at Clemson University, is a distinguished scholar of slavery and freedom narratives, with her work featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Smithsonian, and The New Republic. Renowned for her engaging and humorous presentations, she weaves insightful storytelling to captivate audiences. Her notable achievements include a W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship at Harvard, a Fulbright to Ireland, and a fellowship at Yale’s Gilder Lehrman Center.
In “A Plausible Man” (The New Press, 2024), Ashton meticulously traces Jackson’s journey from slavery to freedom, his fight to liberate his family, and his role as an international advocate for abolition, set against the backdrop of the Civil War and the country’s Reconstruction era.
This event carries significance in Mandarin, where Harriet Beecher Stowe spent winters after the Civil War, penning essays and sketches about Florida life that reflected her connection to the South’s complex post-war landscape.
Susie Scott, past president of the Mandarin Community Club and member of the Club’s events committee, who championed this event, shared her inspiration: “I was inspired to bring this literary exploration of Stowe’s world-changing ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ to our community, where she lived for many years. After reading a book review, I became eager to share this story.”
Scott added, “Stowe’s work profoundly shaped her era and beyond, and this book offers a fascinating glimpse into how a single character may have sparked her transformative writing.”
Join the Mandarin Community Club and the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society for an evening of history, storytelling, and community engagement. Copies of “A Plausible Man” are available for purchase at Amazon. Don’t miss this chance to explore an interesting moment in American history, brought to life by a leading scholar and the vibrant Mandarin community.
