Mary is inevitably drawn to work with the underground railroad. Hattie's father is an undertaker, but more importantly his funeral parlor is a stop on the underground railroad. Above all, she is accepted by her good friend Hattie and her family. Mary is literally thrown off public transportation, and some of the free African-American families look down their noses at Mary who was recently freed from slavery. Mary meets a helpful and friendly white Quaker lady, but when Mary attends a Quaker church service, she is sent to the back of the meeting room/sanctuary. Even though Philadelphia is a northern progressive city, Mary faces discrimination on several levels. In Philadelphia, Mary finds school to be challenging even though she has a photographic memory, but she strives to be the best. Mary's parents are unable to go to Philadelphia because her father was still a slave Mary's mother stays in Richmond and poses as a slave in the Van Lew household. Not only does Bet free her family's slaves, but she finances Mary's education in Philadelphia. Bet attended school in Philadelphia, and during her education had become a strong voice for abolitionism in her own social circles. When their master dies, the master's daughter Bet Van Lew frees the family slaves. Mary Bowser was born into slavery and worked as a domestic house slave with her mother in Richmond, Virgina. The Secrets of Mary Bowser is a Historical Fiction novel based on a real figure from the Civil War era of United States history.
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