Mary Bryant2005

Mary Bryant:
I am no hero, and I have no ambition to be made into one. There are some in this court today who have tried to make me something that I am not. I am guilty as charged, as are the two men standing beside me. Not many of us transported can claim to be innocent - some are wicked, and deserve to be feared, but most are not. Most are men and women who risked their lives to feed themselves and their families. Guilty we may be, but worthless we are not. There are many like us in this country, and to transport us away is another country's gain, and this country's loss. Those that survive the harshness of the colonies are the true heroes. I tried to build a life amongst them, and would have been content to be their companion, but I stole away for the sake of my children, I could not see them starve. I have lost everything I hold dear to me, my husband, my children. So you can take my life, but these men- the courage they have should not be choked out of them.