Ode to Elisabeth SamsonUnique but also strange
This text was translated using AI and may contain errors. If you have suggestions or comments, please contact us at info.ode@amsterdammuseum.nl.
Dear Elisabeth,
Why did you go into business when your parents were enslaved? It's very impressive that you became so wealthy, because you are a great example to others. Just like you are to me. I may be white, but that doesn't matter. People find it remarkable that a black person can be so wealthy, because most of them had almost no money. Don't you feel a little guilty towards your parents or family? My great-grandparents are Indonesian, and I think they would have found it remarkable, but also strange, even though they weren't enslaved.
Zoë Lammers van Toorenburg
Group 8a
St. Janschool, Amsterdam
About
Ode to Elisabeth Samsom by Zoë Lammers van Toorenburg
The pupils in year 8 at the Sint Janschool in Amsterdam West have written odes to five remarkable women from Amsterdam as part of the teaching program at Women of Amsterdam - an ode.
Elisabeth Samson
Elisabeth Samson (1715 - 1771) was a free-born black woman. She acquired several plantations and hundreds of slaves and was one of the richest people in Suriname at the time of her death.