One of the major themes in Freedom Crossing is the impact of literacy on liberation for enslaved people in the 1850s. The book examines not only the importance of enslaved people having access to education but also how writers of the time also moved white readers to join the abolitionist movement. By writing Martin as a character who can read, Margaret Goff Clark is able to better explore the different writers and activists of the time.

In the 1850s, specifically in the American South, it would have been rare to find an enslaved person who could read and write. This is why Laura is “puzzled by the way [Martin] talk[s]. He [doesn’t] sound like the slaves she had known, but almost as if he’d been to school” (14). Because he challenges her preconceptions, Martin intrigues Laura, and she is open to learning more about him and abolition. As a result, he and Bert introduce Laura to Frederick Douglass’s writings, and Joel introduces her to Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Both widen her worldview and encourage her in Making Moral Choices.

Enslaved people’s lack of access to education was intentional, especially in the 1850s.