Robert Adams (sailor)

Robert Adams (born c. 1790) was a twenty-five-old American sailor who claimed to be enslaved in North Africa for three years, from 1810 to 1814. During this time, he claimed to have visited Timbuktu, which would have made him the first Westerner to reach the city, though his narrative is dubious. Upon his stated liberation and return to Europe, Adams' story was published in two heavily edited and divergent accounts, most notably The Narrative of Robert Adams in 1816.

Because his story was sanctioned by some of the most distinguished men in England, including members of government, who had a noted financial interest in Africa, his narrative(s) gained credibility despite "its most glaring absurdities."[1]

Widely cited as an example of white slavery, today, both accounts are widely known to have been fabrications, lending to the dismissal of Adam's story within general history discussions and recordings.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b Sparks, Jared (1817). "Art. IX. The Narrative of Robert Adams, a sailor, who was wrecked on the western coast of Africa, in the year 1810, was detained three years in slavery by the Arabs of the great Desert, and resided several months in the city of Tombuctoo. With a map, notes, and an appendix, pp. 200. Boston, Wells & Lilly. 1817". North American Review. 5 (15). University of Northern Iowa: 204–224. JSTOR 25121313.
  2. ^ Wolfe, Stephen F. (2012). "Robert Adams in Transatlantic Review: Archiving the Barbary Captive and Traveller". European Journal of American Studies (Spring). European Association for American Studies: 144–146.