Tom Lea is an important character in Alex Haley’s novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Tom Lea is the father of Chicken George, and his story serves as a powerful reminder of the past injustices faced by African Americans.
Tom Lea is a slave owner who purchases Chicken George and his mother, Matilda, from another slave owner. Despite being a slave owner, Tom Lea is portrayed in a somewhat sympathetic light in the novel. He treats Chicken George fairly and teaches him to be a blacksmith, becoming something of a father figure to him.
Tom Lea eventually begins to distance himself from Chicken George when he moves away from the plantation they live on. This prompts Chicken George to escape, tough Tom Lea does not pursue him or punish him upon his return. In fact, he treats Chicken George with kindness upon his return and even gives him some money for his journey back home.
Chicken George and Tom Lea’s relationship serves as an important reminder of the complexity of slavery and the power dynamics within it. While Tom Lea was still a slave master, he showed kindness towards Chicken George, suggesting that even those who held power over their slaves could show compassion and understanding towards them at times. At the same time, however, this also highlights how wrong it was for slavery to exist in the first place – no amount of kindness could make up for that injustice.
Chicken George’s Father in ‘Roots’
Chicken George’s father in the 1977 miniseries Roots was Tom Lea, a slave owner. He was the master of the plantation where Chicken George’s mother, Kizzy, was enslaved. Tom Lea is portrayed as an aloof and distant figure who is only interested in using Kizzy for her knowledge of animal husbandry and never really shows any kind of affection towards her or his son, Chicken George. In fact, when Kizzy and Chicken George attempt to escape from the plantation in order to gain their freedom, Tom Lea abandons them both wihout a second thought. This abandonment ultimately leads to Chicken George becoming a successful entrepreneur in the animal trading business and eventually gaining his freedom.
Source: history.com
Did Chicken George Have Children?
Yes, Chicken George had eight children. He married Matilda and together they had six sons and two daughters. Their eldest son, Tom, became a renowned blacksmith.
The Legacy of Chicken George Master
Chicken George’s master is Tom Lea, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Tom Lea is a white plantation owner who buys Chicken George from Kunta Kinte as a slave. He quickly realizes that Chicken George has a great aptitude for cockfighting, so he trains and shows him. Thanks to Chicken George’s success in the cockfighting pits, Tom Lea becomes one of the most successful and respected planters in pre-Civil War America.
Chicken George’s Relationship to Alex Haley
Alex Haley was the great-great-grandson of Chicken George, a character in his novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Chicken George was the father of Tom, a blacksmith, who was in turn the father of Cynthia, who was the mother of George Taylor, who was Alex Haley’s grandfather. Thus, Chicken George is Alex Haley’s great-great-grandfather.
Kizzy’s Age When She Had Chicken George
Kizzy was 51 years old when she had Chicken George. She was born around 1780, making her a grandmother of two in 1831 when she warned George about Massa Lea. Kizzy was likely a slave on the Lea plantation, and likely knew the truth about Massa Lea’s character better than anyone else.
Source: historyandthenews.wordpress.com
The Significance of the Name Big Brother for Chicken George
Chicken George earned the nickname “Chicken George” because he enjoyed spending more time with the chickens in the house than he did with his housemates. During his time on Big Brother, George would often be found outside tending to the chickens, or inside playing with them. His affinity for the birds made him a fan favorite and earned him the nickname “Chicken George.” Despite his love of chickens, George still managed to make it to the final three of Big Brother and eventually won the title of runner-up.
The Fate of Chicken George’s Family
Chicken George’s family experienced a great deal of tragedy in the years after his death. In 1883, his wife Matilda passed away following an argument between her son Tom and daughter Elizabeth. George was left deeply saddened and embittered by her loss.
In 1890, Chicken George himslf suffered a tragic accident and was badly burned by fire. He tragically succumbed to his injuries shortly after, leaving behind his surviving children Tom, Elizabeth, and Lewis.
Tom eventually married and had seven children, who went on to have families of their own. Elizabeth also married and had four children with her husband Emanuel Moore. Lewis never married but maintained a close relationship with his siblings’ families throughout his life.
Did Kunta Kinte Really Exist?
No, Kunta Kinte did not exist. He was a fictional character created by author Alex Haley for the novel and television series Roots. The story of Kunta Kinte is based on Haley’s own family history, with some of his ancestors having been taken from Africa to America as slaves in the 18th century. However, no records exist of an actual person named “Kunta Kinte” being taken as a slave at that time.
Relationship Between Queen and Alex Haley
Queen, the grandmother of Alex Haley, was the illegitimate and unacknowledged daughter of James “Jass” Jackson III, a friend, but not relative, of Andrew Jackson. Queen was enslaved by James and her mother was Easter. Queen and Easter had no legal status as husband and wife, so Queen and any children she bore were technically born into slavery. Queen had two sons, George and Simon; Alex Haley was a descendant of George. Therefore, Alex Haley’s grandmother Queen was his direct ancestor. Alex Haley also traced his heritage back to Kunta Kinte through his father’s side of the family.
Source: blacklanderz.com
The Ownership of Chicken George
Chicken George is owned by the Cheah family. It was founded in 1985 by Ray Cheah, who was a former employee of KFC. The restaurant has been owned and operated by the Cheah family ever since, with Chris Cheah taking over from his father as the head of the business in 2009.
The Final Resting Place of Chicken George
Chicken George is buried in the Bethlehem Cemetery, located near where his great-great grandchildren live in Tennessee. The exact location is unclear, but it is believed to be a small cemetery near the family home. The cemetery was founded in 1848 and holds several generations of the family.
What Is Chicken George’s Real Name?
Chicken George’s real name is George Lea. He was the mixed-race son of Kizzy, a slave, and Tom, her master. Although not much is known about his early life, it is believed that he was born in 1820 in North Carolina. His mother Kizzy taught him how to raise and care for chickens, which earned him the nickname “Chicken George”. He eventually became a skilled cockfighter and trainer, making his living by travelling arund the country and entering cockfighting tournaments. He later moved to Henning Tennessee where he opened a successful chicken farm. In 1876, he moved to Liberia with his family as part of the American Colonization Society’s effort to repatriate freed slaves to Africa.
Jealousy Between Alex and George
Yes, Alex was jealous of George. Alex felt insecure about George’s superior medical skills and was intimidated by the surgeon’s confidence in the operating room. He also knew that George was highly respected in their medical community, which further fuelled his feelings of envy and resentment towards him. In addition, Alex may have been jealous of the close relationship that George had with his colleague Dr. Meredith Grey, which only added to Alex’s insecurity and dissatisfaction. All these factors combined to make Alex deeply jealous of George and likely contributed to their tense relationship prior to his death.
Source: denverpost.com
Conclusion
Tom Lea, the father of Chicken George, was a slave owner who gave up his son when he abandoned the family. Despite this, Chicken George went on to make a name for himself and his master through his cockfighting skills, becoming a successful and well-respected man. He married Matilda and had eight children, including Tom who became an excellent blacksmith. Through his accomplishments and legacy, Chicken George has gone down in history as an iconic figure of resilience and strength.
