Olaudah
Equiano |
| Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) was an African-born
former slave who wrote one of the earliest slave narratives entitled The
Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa,
the African, Written by Himself. . His narrative describes his African
homeland, his voyage from Africa to America and the cruelty of slavery
and the slave trade. |
wheatley
Phyllis
Wheatley |
| Phyllis Wheatley (1753-1784) was an African-born
slave whose book of poetry established her as the first internationally-known
African American writer and the first to have a book published. Her poems
reflect her Christianity and familiarity with Greek, Latin, and English
poets. For example, her poem, "To Maecenas," is a request to a Roman aristocrat,
who was a patron of Horace and Virgil, to approve her work. Her poems reflected
historical events, such as the Revolutionary War but did not address the
issue of slavery. |
| David Walker |
| David Walker ( 1785-1830) was a protest writer who
opposed slavery. His Appeal in Four Articles denounces slavery and advocates
freedom from oppression. His Preamble exposes the inequalities in America,
and Article I argues for freedom while refuting Jefferson's claim that
blacks are inferior to whites. |
Truth
Sojourner
Truth |
| Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), a former slave, advocated
freedom for men and women. As a preacher, she traveled throughout the country,
delivering speeches against slavery and for women's rights. Her most famous
speech is entitled "Ar'n't I a Woman? Speech to the Women's Rights convention
in Akron, Ohio, 1851" in which she declares that she is equal to a male. |
|
Maria Stewart
|
| Maria Stewart (1803-1879) is considered the first
female African American political writer. Her speeches and essays on slavery
and women's rights were published in the book, Productions of Mrs. Maria
W. Stewart. Her speech, "Lecture Delivered at the Franklin Hall," urges
African Americans to attempt to gain their freedom and equality. |
|
Harriet Jacobs
|
| Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) is the author of the
first slave narrative written by an African American woman. In her narrative
entitled Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, she recounts her escape
from slavery, referring to herself as Linda Brent. Her narrative reveals
the sexual abuse that women in slavery experienced. |
| William Wells Brown |
| William Wells Brown (1814-1884) was the first African
American to publish a novel and drama. The son of a white slaveholder and
a slave woman, he lived in slavery, but escaped and later published his
autobiography, Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave, Written
by Himself. His novel, Clotel; or, The President's Daughter, is based on
the story of the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally
Hemings. The novel introduces the theme of the "tragic mulatto," which
refers to a character of mixed ancestry, usually a woman with a white father
and a slave mother, who lives as a white person until his/her African ancestry
is discovered; then the character is enslaved, dies, or faces social ostracism. |
| Frederick Douglass |
| Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was born into slavery
but escaped and became a prominent abolitionist, writing and speaking out
against slavery. His autobiography, Narrative of the life of Frederick
Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, is the model antebellum
slave narrative. In his narrative, Douglass recounts with vivid details
his life of slavery and his determination to be mentally and physically
free. It was internationally acclaimed and established Douglass as a renown
prose writer who was also an editor and essayist. |
| Frances E.W. Harper |
| Frances E.W. Harper (1825-1911)
was a poet, novelist, essayist, and journalist and was the most outstanding
African American female writer before the twentieth century. She was considered
an abolitionist poet who wrote about freedom and pride in her racial heritage,
and equal rights. She was also concerned about the condition of women and
often described the lives and contributions of women. |
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