Dave the Slave is the most commonly used moniker of an influential American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 potter

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

 who lived in Edgefield, South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 and produced alkaline-glazed stoneware

Stoneware

Stoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...

 pottery

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

 from the 1820s to the 1860s. He was an enslaved African-American, and often signed his works "Dave." http://www.davetheslave.info/WhowasDavetheSlaveaPotteraPoet.htm

After emancipation

Emancipation

Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...

 he adopted the last name "Drake," presumably after Harvey Drake who was his owner until 1832 and who is presumed to have taught him to be a potter. http://www.usca.edu/aasc/davepotter.htm

Dave was born about 1801 and died in the mid 1870s. http://www.leonardtodd.com/index.php?page_id=283

Pottery

• Dave frequently adorned his work with short poems and couplets. This unusual feature of his work is now one of his most famous trademark
  Trademark
  A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
  
  s. Some collectors and scholars have suggested that Dave's poetry
  Poetry
  Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
  
   should be characterized as an early act of sedition
  Sedition
  In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
  
   in the cause of civil rights
  Civil rights
  Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
  
  , because at the time it was generally forbidden for African-Americans to read and write. http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/stoneware0904.htm

• Pieces by Dave frequently feature the initials "LM." This stood for Lewis Miles, the man who owned the pottery workshop where Dave worked (and possibly owned Dave for a time). http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/stoneware0904.htm

• In contemporary auctions and sales, his work has sold for over $40,000 per piece. http://www.usca.edu/aasc/davepotter.htm

• His pottery is part of the Civil War
  American Civil War
  The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
  
   collection at the Smithsonian. http://www.civilwar.si.edu/slavery_jar.html

External links

• Dave: A Literate Slave (Includes Photos)
• Dave the Slave and Edgefield District Pottery Photos - SCIway.net, South Carolina Information Highway
• http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/stoneware0904.htm
• http://www.museum.state.sc.us/culturalhistory/AfricDave.html
• http://www.leonardtodd.com