Freedom Flight tells the true story of the escape of Addison White from slavery in
Kentucky, his flight north on the Under- ground Railroad, and his rescue by the citizens of
Mechanicsburg, Ohio. The characters of Addison White and Udney Hyde serve as narrators
as well as characters.
The play begins in August, 1856. Addison is a slave on the farm of Daniel White in Fleming
County, Kentucky. We learn about what it was like to be a slave: long hours of work and no
human dignity. One day, Addison is grinding cane at a sorghum wheel and he faints from
heatstroke. Daniel White finds him and is going to tie him up and beat him. Addison resists,
fighting Master White to a draw.