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Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions. may apply. iHeart presents the Big Three Playoffs. This Sunday, the remaining four teams battle to make their championship in the most physical, fierce, and competitive basketball league in the world. The action starts with the Big Three Monster Energy Celebrity Game.
Then Dwight Howard and his L.A. Riot take on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J Chicago Triplets. The finale will see popular Miami 305 with stars MVP Michael Beasley and Lamb Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas Power, who will make it to the Big Three Championship. The no-holds bought action starts Sunday at 3 p.m.
Eastern, 12 Pacific, only on CBS. This is Danielle Fischel from Pod Meets World. Parents, quick question. When is the last time you won snack time? The other day, I handed my son a perfectly portioned Pinterest-level snack and And he traded it for a Mott's applesauce pouch.
I'm not mad, just impressed. And that's why Mott's no-sugar-added applesauce pouches are perfect to keep on hand. They're made with real apples, packed in a super easy pouch, perfect for tossing in a lunchbox, keeping in the car, or grabbing as you're running out the door. Plus, they're a good source of vitamin C, and kids love them. Win-win!
Make sure your kid wins snack time with Motts. Real apples make real good applesauce. Learn more at Motts.com. Barcelona Crypto, it's on Kraken. My crypto, it's on Kraken.
My XRP. It's on Kraken. I'm part of the XRP army. Dave Portnoy trusts Kraken with his crypto.
So do millions of clients around the world. Ranked best crypto platform of 2025 by Forbes. Download the app today and get $10 in Bitcoin after your first trade of $10 or more. Just enter KoiHeart10 under Add Invite Code when you sign up. Not investment advice.
Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S. customers through Payward Interactive Inc. Terms and conditions apply. Good morning, welcome to Today. From back to school to tackling your to-do list, the Today Show is your best start to the day.
It's a new season and every morning. We're here to help you take it all off. As the forecast calls for football all across the country. Blockbuster stars, live concerts, and so much more. Wake up to where it's all happening.
We're getting back to all of it. And the best way to start is together. Watch the Today Show, weekday mornings at 7 a.m. on NBC. And we continue with our American stories.
William and Ellen Kraft knew they could never have children until they were free, so they embarked on one of the greatest escapes in the history. of the Underground Railroad. Here to tell the story as the award-winning author of 96 books, including eight novels, historical comic books. and over 40 children's books for the best-selling VeggieTales series. Doug Peterson is the author of The Vanishing Woman.
The novel about the craft's courageous escape. Let's take a listen. Ellen's teeth chattered as she pulled the thin blanket around her shoulders. She was cold and terrified. In the dim glow of a single candle, she sat on a stool and watched her husband, William, emerge from the darkness with a pair of scissors in his right hand.
Are you sure of this? William asked. Ellen ran a hand through her long black hair. Her hair was her glory, her pride. and without it she would wear shame upon her head.
But she had no choice. It had to be done. The Lord would understand. I'm sure. She felt William's hand, a gentle tugging as he took up her hair, The first cut, he warned.
Alan heard the metallic snip and felt another tug, like a fish on the end of a line. Already her head felt lighter, so strange, so foreign. She tried to hold back the tears as her long black hair fell to the floor.
So begins the escape of Ellen and William Kraft, one of the most incredible escapes in the history of the Underground Railroad. Ellen attempted an escape from Macon, Georgia by pretending to be a white man while her husband William posed as her slave. And one of the first steps in this transformation was asking her husband to cut her hair. Ellen Craft's skin was as wife as her master, Major James P. Smith.
That's because Major Smith was also her father. Her mother was a mixed-race slave, so that made Ellen a slave no matter what the color of her skin may be. Slavery followed the lineage of the mother. But Ellen couldn't escape by pretending to be a white woman. a woman could not travel with a male slave.
So if her husband was going with her, she had to pretend to be a white man. In addition to cutting her hair, Ellen wore a top hat and men's pants, which William purchased locally. William was a woodworker hired out in Macon and allowed to keep a portion of his earnings.
However, a major obstacle remained. It was customary for travelers to register their names in the visitors' books at hotels as well as in the Custom House book at Charleston, South Carolina. But Ellen could not write. Ellen's solution was to bind her right arm in a sling and ask officers to sign for her. She also decided to wrap a poultice around her chin like a toothache bandage to hide her smooth, beardless face.
she would tell people she was suffering from rheumatism. As a finishing touch, she wore green-tinted glasses to conceal her feminine eyes. Ellen grew up in Clinton, Georgia, not far from Macon. Her half-sister, Miss Eliza Cromwell Smith, was 10 years older. Eliza and Ellen had the same father, but different mothers, and that made all the difference in the world.
Eliza's mother, misses Smith, was white, So Eliza was free.
Sometimes visitors to the house would see Ellen running around the yard and assume she, too, was one of the free Smith children. creating the most awkward of moments. misses Smith was difficult and domineering. When Eliza married the wealthy Dr. Collins from Macon, Mrs.
Smith gave 11-year-old Ellen the newlyweds as a wedding present. A wedding present. Her sister took Ellen with them to Macon, putting distance between them and the indomitable Mrs. Smith. but the move also separated her from her beloved mother.
In Macon, Ellen met her husband William, who later wrote their escape narrative, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom. As William put it, It is true our condition as slaves was not by any means the worst, but the mere idea that we were held as chattels and deprived of all legal rights, the thought that we could not call the bones and sinews that God gave us our own, but above all the fact that another man had the power to tear from our cradle the new born babe and then scourge us if we dared to lift a finger to save it from such a fate. haunted us for years. William called this division of parent and children the poisonous dagger of separation. Because of the ever-present threat of separation, Alan would not agree to have children until they were free.
So as Christmas of eighteen forty eight approached, William came up with an audacious plan for Alan to pass herself off as a white man while he pretended to be her slave. To set the escape in motion, William and Ellen each obtained passes to be away for a few days at Christmas. a practice often allowed by masters in making. Then, on september twenty first, eighteen forty eight, The night before their escape William cut Ellen's hair square at the back of the head. When she put on her complete disguise, William said I found that she made the most respectable looking gentleman.
Hi. When it came time for them to start, he said, We blew out the lights, knelt down, and prayed to our Heavenly Father mercifully to assist, as he did his people of old, to escape from cruel bondage. At the Macon train station, Ellen boarded the whites-only car, while William rode in the baggage car while slaves and free blacks were relegated. Peering through the window of the baggage car, William was shocked to see a man he worked alongside at the woodworker shop. This man appeared to be searching for someone on the train.
Fully believing we were caught, Williams said, but I shrank into a corner, turned my face from the door, and expected in a moment to be dragged out. As the Lord's mercy would have it, the bell rang before the cabinet maker could peer into the baggage car, and the train moved off. William breathed a sigh of relief, but not Ellen. As the train took off for Savannah, she faced a problem of her own. Ellen was terror-stricken to see mister Cray, an old friend of her master, enter the train car and sit down next to her.
mister Cray had dined with the family of Ellen's master the night before. It's a fine morning, sir, mister Cray said to Ellen. Ellen just stared out the window. She didn't turn. Didn't move, didn't answer.
she prayed for mister Cray to go silent. I said it's a very fine morning, sir. Probably the entire coach heard those words. A man in the road directly in front of them laughed. and Ellen sensed growing agitation in mister Craig.
You're wasting your breath, mister, said the man in the next row. I think the poor guy's mostly deaf. Ellen felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and she knew she had to respond in some way, so she turned and looked directly at him. Yes, it is. Then she turned back to the window and resumed staring out.
Mr. Cray gave up talking to her from that point on. She had passed her first test. When the train reached Savannah, Alan and William boarded a steamer to Charleston. While Ellen excused herself to retire to the cabin, William went to the kitchen to warm the flannels and treat them with opodildoc, a foul smelling medicine.
standard treatment for someone with rheumatism. William and Ellen needed to keep up appearances. The steward said there was no place for slaves or free blacks to sleep, so William paced the deck until he climbed a mound of cotton and curled up near the ship's funnel. In the morning, Ellen had breakfast in the saloon with the other gentlemen, people she would be serving under normal conditions. Because of Ellen's sling, William cut up her food.
You have an attentive slave, noted the ship's captain. If you want to sell that slave, I am your man. Just name your price, and if it isn't out of the way, I will pay for him with hard silver dollars. I don't wish to sell, sir, Ellen said, deepening her voice. I cannot get on well without him.
When Ellen said thank you to William for cutting her food, a military officer leaned across the table. You excuse me, sir, for saying, but I think you are very likely to spoil your slave by saying thank you to him. The only way to make him tow the mark is to storm at him like thunder. And you've been listening to Doug Peterson. Tell the story.
of William and Ellen Craft. They were pulling off well. one of the great masquerades of all time to pursue their freedom. When we come back more of this remarkable story, Here on Our American Story. This Labor Day, say goodbye to spills, stains, and overpriced furniture with washable sofas.com, featuring Anibay, the only machine washable sofa inside and out, where designer quality meets budget-friendly pricing.
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Now through Labor Day, get up to 60% off-site-wide at washablesofas.com. Every order comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, every penny back. Shop now at washablesofas.com.
Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
Okay. The reviews and ratings are in, and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer. And to cap off the season, iHeart presents the Big Three Basketball Playoffs. This Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern, the remaining four teams battle it out for the right to make the Big Three Championship in the most physical, fierce, and competitive basketball league in the world.
The action starts with the Big Three Monster Energy Celebrity Game, where your favorite stars compete in Big Three 3 on 3 basketball. Then, the first of two semifinal games features Dwight Howard and the LA Riot taking on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J's first-placed Chicago Triplets. The finale will see popular Miami 305 with stars MVP Michael Beasley, and last will make you Dan Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas Power, who finished the season winning five straight weeks to capture second place. Can Glenn Rice, Greg Monroe, and Paul Milsap stop Miami's physical assault, or will Miami and Beasley put an end to Dallas's winning ways?
Who will make it to the Big Three Championship? This no-holds-bought action starts Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 Pacific, only on CBS. Yeah. Barcelona Crypto, it's on Kraken.
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Not investment advice. Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S. customers through Payward Interactive Inc. Terms and Conditions Apply. Good morning.
Welcome to Today. From back to school to tackling your to-do list, the Today Show is your best start to the day. It's a new season and every morning. We're here to help you take it all off as the forecast calls for football all across the country. Blockbuster stars, live concerts, and so much more.
Wake up to where it's all happening. We're getting back to all of it. And the best way to start is together. Watch the Today Show, weekday mornings at 7 a.m. on NBC.
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America's Christian Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA. And we continue with our American stories and the story of William and Ellen Kraft. I'm telling the story is Doug Peterson. He's the author of The Vanishing Woman. The novel about crafts.
Escape. One of the greatest escapes. in the history of the Underground Railroad. Let's pick up. where we last left off.
When William and Ellen arrived in Charleston, the plan was to take another steamer directly to Philadelphia. Imagine their shock when they found that the vessel didn't run to Philadelphia during the winter.
So they headed for the custom house near the wharf to buy tickets to Wilmington, North Carolina. When the customs man handed the tickets to Ellen, he pointed to the register and commanded her to sign her name and pay the dollar duty for her slave. I'm unable to do it, Ellen said, motioning toward her sling. Science. The customs man slapped his hand, palm down, on the register opened in front of Ellen.
Then a voice spoke up, a familiar voice. What's the problem here? I know this man. Ellen saw with surprise that the voice belonged to the young military officer from the steamboat. You see his arm in a sling, the officer said.
You have eyes, don't you? You mean you know this fellow? the customs man asked.
softening in the presence of the two officers. He's Mr. Johnson, of course. Mr. William Johnson.
I know his kin like I know a book.
So I suggest you let 'em through if you know it's good for you. Ellen had introduced herself on the steamboat as William Johnson. Then the captain, of all people, stepped forward and volunteered to sign for Ellen. The customs man finally backed down and the crafts continued their journey to freedom. After the steamboat reached Wilmington, Ellen and William took the train to Richmond, Virginia.
Several passengers lavished comfort on Ellen because of her rheumatism, encouraging her to lie down while the ladies used their extra shawls to make a pillow for her head. In Richmond, Ellen nearly lost her composure when an elderly lady spotted William on the train station platform and shouted, Bless my soul, there goes my boy Ned. The lady was certain that William was her escaped slave. But Alan quickly corrected the mistake. and the old woman withdrew her claim.
The real trouble didn't arise until they reached Baltimore. the last slave fort of any note on their route. On arriving there, we felt more anxious than ever because we knew not what the last dark night would bring forth. William later wrote. It is true we were near the goal, but our poor hearts were as if tossed at sea.
According to William They are particularly watchful at Baltimore to prevent slaves from escaping into Pennsylvania. which is a free stay. After William helped Ellen onto the train carriage, a full-blooded Yankee rushed up to him, tapped him on the shoulder, and demanded, Where you going, boy? To Philadelphia, sir, William replied.
Well, what are you going there for? I am travelling with my master, who is in the next carriage, sir.
Well, I calculate you had better get them out and be mighty quick about it because the train will soon be starting. It is against my rules to let anyone take a slave past here unless he can satisfy them in the office that he has a right to take him along. William was terrified that they were going to be stopped so close to freedom. But as he put it It soon occurred to me that the good God who had been with us thus far would not forsake us at the eleventh hour. The conversation attracted the attention of other passengers, who thought the officer was burdening a poor, invalid gentleman.
Emboldened by the support of the crowd, Ellen said, I bought tickets in Charleston to pass us through to Philadelphia, and therefore you have no right to detain us here. For a few minutes, perfect silence prevailed. This officer had the power to throw them into prison. Suddenly the bell rang for the train to leave. All at once the officer thrust his fingers through his hair and said, I really don't know what to do.
I calculate it is all right if you board. William and Ellen darted for the train before the man could change his mind and before the train could leave without them. The next stop Philadelphia. By the time they pulled into the Philadelphia station, the full light of Christmas morning had crept across the land. He stood in the doorway and looked down on the crowd for anyone who might be searching for two runaway slaves from Georgia.
Then he took the plunge and walked into freedom. As Williams said in his narrative, We poured out our heartfelt gratitude to God for His goodness in enabling us to overcome so many perilous difficulties in escaping out of the jaws of the wicked. William and Alan had reached freedom. and they soon departed for Boston, where they would put more distance between themselves and the nearest slave state. But they weren't entirely out of the jaws of the wicked.
In eighteen fifty Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Bill, which required citizens in the Free States to assist in returning fugitive slaves back to the South. Anxious Bostonians met at the African meeting house on october fourth and organized the League of Freedom. Lewis Hayden was elected president and William Kraft became vice president. While many fled to Canada, William refused to flee Boston because, as he put it, Our people have been pursued long enough. If I can't live here and be free, I will die.
Meanwhile, Ellen's master, mister Collins, sent two slave hunters from Macon to Boston. to nab William and Alan and drag them back to slavery. The slave hunters were Willis Hughes, the Macontown jailer, and John Knight, the man who once worked in the woodshop alongside William. William was stunned when Knight showed up out of the blue at his Boston cabinet maker shop, acting as if they were old friends reunited. Knight asked William if he could take him on a tour of Boston, but William didn't fall for the ruse.
So Knight invited William and Ellen to meet him at the United States Hotel where he was staying. Again, they didn't fall for it. When the crafts didn't show up at the hotel, Knight and Hughes went off in search of a judge or United States Commissioner who would issue a warrant for their arrest. Boston's Vigilance Committee sprang into action, putting obstacles in the path of the slave hunters. Two lawyers had Hughes and Knight arrested for slandering William Kraft.
The slave catchers were soon freed on bail, but the Vigilance Committee was only getting started. The committee had Knight and Hughes arrested again and again. For slandering Ellen, for damaging Williams' business, for smoking in the streets, for carrying concealed weapons, for driving too fast, writes Sterling. Every time they were arrested, they were bailed out by pro-slavery friends. But once they were back on the streets of Boston, members of the Vigilance Committee hounded them.
This led to a dramatic climax when the slave hunters arrived at the Hayden House. only to find two kegs of gunpowder on the front porch. I'll blow us all up before we let you take William Craft back into slavery. Hayden told the slave catchers. To prove his intentions, Hayden lit a torch and held it perilously close to the kegs of gunpowder.
That night, the two slave catchers gave up and were soon on a train back to Macon, Georgia. William and Ellen Kraft had survived. for now. Robert Collins appealed to President Fillmore to get the crafts back. And when the newspapers said the president was sending troops to Boston, William and Ellen decided to leave the country.
In the throes of winter, they traveled to Canada, putting them out of reach of the slave hunters. From there they sailed to Liverpool, England. In England they became celebrities of a sort, meeting with writers, entertainers, and even a famous astronomer who let them view the solar system through his telescope. they had certainly come a long way from making Georgia. William and Ellen finally settled in Ockham.
A small English village. where they learn to read and write. Helen also became pregnant. Three years earlier, they had escaped from Macon because Ellen would not give birth to a child in slavery. But now they received their greatest reward.
This was what it was all for, she told William, before she gave in to the tears. His name Charles Estlin Phillips Kraft. The names were given in honor of the friends who had helped them along the way. William and Allen returned to America in 1869 after 19 years in England. They rented a farm, the Hickory Hill Plantation in South Carolina, and started a school.
But in 1870, the Ku Klux Klan burned down their house, barn, and school, so they salvaged what they could and moved to Savannah. They started a new school in Woodville, Georgia, modeled after the Occam School in England. William and Ellen retired in Charleston, South Carolina, and their daughter, Ellen Kraft Crumb, went on to become a prominent civil rights leader. founding the National Federation of Afro-American Women. Ellen passed away in 1897 at the age of 71.
and was buried beneath her favorite pine tree in Woodville, Georgia. William followed her to glory in 1900. They had five biological children. three adopted African children, and many descendants. all of one blood.
And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to Doug Peterson. This should be a movie, for goodness sakes. Just the travel alone, the twists, the turns, the fear. That final stop in Baltimore, with God at their back and on their side.
They got to freedom, and ultimately. To England. The story of the woman who pretended to be a white man as her husband posed as her slave. That is the story of William and Ellen Kraft here. On Our American Stories.
This Labor Day, say goodbye to spills, stains, and overpriced furniture with washable sofas.com, featuring Anibay, the only machine washable sofa inside and out, where designer quality meets budget-friendly pricing.
Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibay's pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and interchangeable slip covers are made with high-performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud-like comfort of hypoallergenic, high-resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time. With modular pieces, you can rearrange any time. It's a sofa that adapts to your life.
Now through Labor Day, get up to 60% off-site-wide at washablesofas.com. Every order comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping. No restocking fees, every penny back.
Shop now at washable sofas.com. Offers are subject to change, and certain restrictions may apply. This is Danielle Fischl from Pod Meets World. Parents, quick question: When is the last time you won snack time? The other day, I handed my son a perfectly portioned Pinterest-level snack and And he traded it for a Mott's applesauce pouch.
I'm not mad, just impressed. And that's why Mott's no-sugar-added applesauce pouches are perfect to keep on hand. They're made with real apples, packed in a super easy pouch, perfect for tossing in a lunchbox, keeping in the car, or grabbing as you're running out the door. Plus, they're a good source of vitamin C, and kids love them. Win-win!
Make sure your kid wins snack time with Motts. Real apples make real good applesauce. Learn more at Motts.com. I harp. Presents the Big Three Playoffs.
This Sunday, the remaining four teams battle to make their championship in the most physical, fierce, and competitive basketball league in the world. The action starts with the Big Three Monster Energy Celebrity Game. Then Bled Howard and his L.A. Riot take on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J Chicago Tripletts.
The finale will see popular Miami 305, with stars MVP Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas Power, who will make it to the Big Three Championship. The no-holds ball action starts Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 Pacific, only on CBS. Ah, Barcelona Crypto, it's on Kraken. My crypto, it's on Kraken.
My XRP, it's on Kraken. I'm part of the XRP army. Dave Portnoy trusts Kraken with his crypto.
So do millions of clients around the world. Ranked best crypto platform of 2025 by Forbes. Download the app today and get $10 in Bitcoin after your first trade of $10 or more. Just enter code iHeart10 under Ad Invite Code when you sign up. Not investment advice.
Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S. customers through Payward Interactive Inc. Terms and Conditions Apply. Hi, it's Danielle Fischl from Pod Meets World. You know that moment when you're getting dressed and it's just total chaos?
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