Brown University

Spirit of Freedom (Hamilton, Bermuda)

Description

Abstract:
In 1730, the colonial government of Bermuda executed Sarah Bassett, an enslaved woman, for allegedly attempting to poison her granddaughter’s enslavers. In Spirit of Freedom, she is depicted as a slender female figure bound tightly with ropes, her arms restrained behind her back. Her head is tilted slightly upward and turned to the side, her eyes closed in silent defiance. Her legs are tightly bound to a stake and secured on top of a burning pyre. The sculpture stands on a circular pedestal. Around the base, the name “Sarah (Sally) Bassett” is inscribed, along with a description of events from her life.
Notes:
Digital object made available by: Brown University Library, Center for Digital Scholarship, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, U.S.A., (http://library.brown.edu/)

Access Conditions

Use and Reproduction
CC0 1.0
Restrictions on Use
Collection is open for research.

Citation

MikeChdwck (Wikipedia), "Spirit of Freedom (Hamilton, Bermuda)" Resistance. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:3td3gjrf/

Relations

Collection:

  • Resistance

    The monuments and memorials in this section commemorate the enslaved and free men and women who resisted bondage and worked to end the institution of slavery. In her book, The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016), historian Manisha Sinha …

    ...