William Ford (Louisiana preacher)

William Prince Ford was a Baptist preacher and farmer in pre – Civil War Louisiana. He was the slavemaster who first acquired Solomon Northup after Northup, a free African-American, had been kidnapped in Washington, DC, and sold in New Orleans. Those events happened in 1841.^[1]

After selling Northup to another slaveholder, Ford in 1843 converted, with most of his Baptist congregation, to the Churches of Christ, to which Ford had become influenced by the writings of Alexander Campbell. Campbell visited the congregation in 1857, at which time he was favorably impressed by the fellowship practiced between blacks and whites in the congregation. As of 2014 the congregation continues as the Cheneyville Christian Church. It is the oldest congregation associated with the Restoration Movement in Louisiana.^[2]

In the feature film Twelve Years a Slave Ford was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. Various critics, including members of Ford's descendants, have assailed the portrayal of Ford in the film as rendering him uncharacteristically harsh, as a villain in contrast to Northup's own description of Ford as more humane than others in the context of the time.^[3]

Notes

^ "Southeastern Louisiana University presents program on 'Twelve Years a Slave'". Times-Picayune. 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2014-02-27. The lecture was titled "The God's of Slavery: The Theology of Solomon Northup" and was delivered by Stanley Neal Helton on 2014-02-26 at Beacon Light Baptist Church in Hammond, Louisiana.
^ Tryggestad, Erik (2014-02-27). "Oscar contender '12 Years a Slave' has ties to Restoration Movement". Christian Chronicle. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
^ Churcher, Sharon; McMahon, Barbara (2014-01-26). "Hollywood villain? No, our slave owning great grandfather was the very model of morality, claim family outraged by Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal in 12 Years A Slave". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2014-02-27.

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This article about an American businessperson born in the 1850s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Southeastern Louisiana University presents program on 'Twelve Years a Slave'". Times-Picayune. 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2014-02-27. The lecture was titled "The God's of Slavery: The Theology of Solomon Northup" and was delivered by Stanley Neal Helton on 2014-02-26 at Beacon Light Baptist Church in Hammond, Louisiana.

[2] Tryggestad, Erik (2014-02-27). "Oscar contender '12 Years a Slave' has ties to Restoration Movement". Christian Chronicle. Retrieved 2014-02-27.

[3] Churcher, Sharon; McMahon, Barbara (2014-01-26). "Hollywood villain? No, our slave owning great grandfather was the very model of morality, claim family outraged by Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal in 12 Years A Slave". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2014-02-27.

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