Redeeming Uncle Tom: The Josiah Henson Story airs 2/5 at 4 a.m. – – tells the story of Josiah Henson (voiced by actor Danny Glover), the real-life inspiration for Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic 1852 novel, which has been recognized as one of the sparks that ignited the Civil War. Josiah Henson was born into slavery near Port Tobacco, Maryland around 1789. As a child, he was sold to Isaac Riley, who later appointed him superintendent of the farm at an unusually young age because of Henson’s strength and intelligence. Riley entrusted Henson with exceptional responsibilities and permitted him to become a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church. However, when Henson attempted to buy his freedom, Riley cheated him and made plans to sell him south. Fearing separation from his family, he fled north with his wife and children in the summer of 1830. After escaping through Ohio and New York, they eventually settled in Ontario, Canada.
