Roots: The Saga of an American Family

With George gone, Lea is in debt and out of luck. He begins selling his chickens, and arranges sales of George’s family. Lea’s wife convinces him to sell the family as a unit, except for George’s mother, Kizzy. The trader gives them four days to prepare for the move to Alamance County, where a plantation has already purchased them without auction. Tom arranges to purchase Kizzy, Sarah, Malizy, and Pompey for $300 each as soon as he can earn it, but Pompey dies in his cabin the day they are set to leave.

The Kinte family moves to Murray’s plantation. The family works hard, hoping to prevent the inexperienced Murrays from hiring an overseer, and Tom takes contracts for additional work. Virgil unsuccessfully tries to convince Murray to buy his wife, Lilly Sue, while Tom and Matilda save money to try to buy Kizzy, Sarah, and Malizy. Matilda works in the house, while the remainder of the family works in the fields. Mary and L’il Kizzy talk with men at the blacksmith shop Tom sets up, and Tom expresses interest in a woman named Irene at Holt’s plantation.