Mighty Oaks follows the lives of three men, all born into slavery before America's Revolutionary War. George Liele was granted freedom by his master before the war. David George was liberated by the British. Andrew Bryan remained in bondage for some time.
After the war, George Liele fled to Jamaica to escape re-enslavement by his former master's heirs. David George sailed to Nova Scotia with thousands of other Black Loyalists and Andrew Bryan opted to remain in slavery to tend to his congregation in Savannah, Ga.
George Liele paid the passage to Jamaica for himself and his family through indentured servanthood. Once he had paid the debt and regained freedom the second time, he preached to the many slaves there, eventually planting two Baptist congregations on the island, which remain to this day.
Andrew Bryan led his church in Savannah until his death in 1812. He bought his own freedom from his master, while his church raised the money to buy his wife's freedom. More than once, Bryan purchased abused slaves and allowed them to work off the price to become freedmen.
David George, about whom the majority of material exists, experienced a life full of hardship, adventure and unshakable faith in God.
At 19, he fled the plantation after watching his sadistic master beat his mother to death. He had traveled from Virginia to Georgia before his capture by natives, then worked as a slave for the chief. After learning his former master was still looking for him, he fled again to be captured by another tribe and once again enslaved.
A white man came into the natives' village one day with news that David's master had refused to give up finding him. His son was in the area, offering a reward for David's return. This stranger offered to buy David from both the chief and his former master. After the deal was struck, David became the property of George Galphin of Silver Bluff, South Carolina.
When Savannah fell to the British on December 29, 1778, Galphin, a patriot, was forced to flee with his family, leaving 50 slaves behind. The next morning, they took the opportunity to hurry to Savannah and the protection of the British lines.
England had issued a proclamation to all the enslaved across the colonies. If they would fight for the British army, they were guaranteed freedom. Thousands of slaves swarmed to accept the terms. After Britain's loss to the Americans, all loyalists, white and black, were forced to flee. The English government offered passage to three places: England, Jamaica or Nova Scotia.
David George moved to Nova Scotia with his family and thousands of other black loyalists. After ten grueling years of failed harvests, harsh winters and unkept promises, they learned of a business venture out of London. The Sierra Leone Company offered free passage to any black willing to relocate to the African continent and start their own settlement.
More than 1200 black loyalists answered the invitation. The horrific two-month sea voyage proved to be only the beginning of their challenges. Tropical rains, wild animals, disease, starvation - all threatened the new experiment.
The Black Loyalists refused to quit. They struggled against the land and white governors who continually misunderstood them, their abilities and their intents. There were several clashes that threatened to blossom into full revolution. David George remained the one man with calm, clear thinking to mediate between the two people groups. Throughout his life, he kept his people inspired, motivated and ever hopeful of reaching self-governance.
David George's character, unflagging faith and leadership grounded the new settlement, Freetown, which exists to this day. She celebrated the full freedom so longed for by those first colonists on April 27, 1961.
