Afro Lit to 1940

Frederick Douglass

(1817-1895) American abolitionist and writer, he escaped slavery and became a leading African American spokesman and writer. He published his biography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and founded the abolitionist newspaper, the North Star.

Division of an Estate

- "dull emotion rolling through the brain of apprehending slaves" -wonder why they're prostrated -"day of separation" George Moses Horton

An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley

- follow God's path of peace -reap endless joy -regardless of struggles, God will save & guide you -Dont dwell on "earthly toys" -Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins, so we must do the same -when Judgement Day comes God will know and take the saints Jupiter Hammon

Ain't I a Woman?

- speech at Women's Rights Convention -addressed Truth's views & women's rights, advocated for equal rights of genders -encourages audience to fight for equality and women to work together -uses personal experiences, repetition and biblical references to connect w/ audience Sojourner Truth

An Evening Thought

-1st published written work by AA in US -declares Hammon's faith -declaration & prayer -seeking true salvation by Victorious God -acknowledges who God is, what he's done and does -encourages to wake up and accept God's salvation (delivery from slavery as well) Jupiter Hammon

Equiano Ch. 2

-Equiano and sister are kidnapped and separated -taken to nice home, starts thinking of escape accidentally kills chicken & hides to avoid punishment -sold again to good family and journeys for months, learn 2 languages -sees taken sister -sold again and journeys for months uutil they come to slave ship on sea coast and meet white people for the first time, becomes depressed and wishes for death -switches ships -land in Barbados, sold at auction

Bars Fight

- 8.25.1746 -1st poem/ballad by AA woman -Brave Indians lay after attack by "awful creatures" -names brave & bold Indians that died Lucy Terry

incidents in the life of a slave girl ch 17

Linda escapes from Mr. Flint's plantation and heads for her grandmother's house, where she persuades Sally, "a faithful friend," to help her reach the home of another friend, who hides her in a closet. After hiding at her friend's home for a week, Linda's pursuers come into close vicinity. She flees, terrified of being discovered, and hides for two hours in some nearby bushes, where she is bitten by a poisonous reptile. In excruciating pain, she returns to her friend's house, where she is treated with homemade medicine. Meanwhile, Linda has contacted some of her relatives, who advise her to return to her master, beg his forgiveness, and accept her punishment. But when her friend informs her family of the pain and suffering Linda has endured in her struggle to remain free, they stop trying to convince her to go back. Desperate to help Linda, her grandmother enlists the aid of a woman she has known since childhood, who offers to help her escape and agrees to let her stay at her home until she can get to the Free States. The woman arranges for her cook, Betty, to meet Linda at a designated place and bring her to her home. When Linda receives the message to meet "a friend" at a secret location, she is surprised to discover that the "friend" is Betty. Betty escorts her back to her mistresses' house, brings her supper, and shows her to her new hiding place: an old storage room. Linda learns that Dr. Flint has had her brother, William, her children, and her aunt (who has served the Flint family for over 20 years) arrested, hoping to force them into revealing her hiding place. Devastated that her actions are causing her family so much suffering, Linda considers turning herself in, until she receives a note from her brother, begging her to stay put and convincing her that turning herself in now would only serve to further endanger her family. After a month, Linda's aunt is released and her daughter, Ellen, is taken to Dr. Flint's home, where she is treated for the after-effects of measles. That night, Dr. Flint, on his way back from seeing a patient, passes by Aunt Martha's cabin. Noticing that her light is still on and suspecting that Linda might be hiding at her grandmother's, he stops by to tell her that he knows where Linda is and will have her back by 12:00. He hopes that she will reveal Linda's hiding place. Alarmed, Aunt Martha and Uncle Phillip send a message to Betty's mistress, and Betty conceals her under some planks beneath the kitchen floor. Several days later, Dr. Flint comes to the house where Linda is hiding, and Linda once again fears that she has been discovered. But after he leaves, her friend tells her that Dr. Flint — who has already posted a reward notice of $300 for Linda's capture — came to borrow $500 so that he could search for her in New York. She assures Linda that she is safe and has nothing to fear. When Dr. Flint returns from New York, Linda's friends trick him into selling William (her brother), Ben (her son), and Ellen (her daughter) to a slave trader who represents Mr. Sands. The trader pretends to leave town with them, but then releases William and the children and allows them to go back to Aunt Martha. Linda, who is unaware of these transactions, has a vision in which she sees her children. Terrified that her children are dead, she turns to Betty, who reassures her that they are safe at home with her grandmother. Dr. Flint has Phillip arrested on charges of aiding Linda's escape and demands $500 bail for his release. Meanwhile, the hunt for Linda continues and Betty again hides her under the kitchen floor. Just as she begins to feel safe, Jenny, another household slave, threatens to reveal Linda's hiding place. Afraid that she will be discovered, Betty's mistress contacts Phillip, who arranges for a friend to meet her. Disguised as a sailor, Linda meets Phillip's friend, Peter, who escorts her to the wharf, where Aunt Nancy's husband smuggles her aboard a ship, providing her with a temporary shelter. Later, Peter takes her to hide in Snaky Swamp, where Linda is terrified of the huge snakes. Although she is able to spend the night aboard the docked ship, Linda is forced to spend another day hiding out in the swamp. The following morning, Peter tells her that a hiding place has been secured for her. Linda, who has become severely ill from her ordeal, dons her sailor's disguise, blackens her face with charcoal, and follows Peter back to her grandmother's house.

incidents in the life of slave girl ch 39

Linda has lived in Boston for two years, and her brother, William, offers to send Ellen to boarding school. Although she is reluctant to part with her daughter, Linda eventually agrees that this would be in her daughter's best interest. The night before Ellen is scheduled to leave, Linda tells her the truth about her father, Mr. Sands. To her surprise, she discovers that Ellen has known the truth all along. Linda is lonely without her daughter, and gratefully accepts an assignment as a seamstress for a neighboring family. Upon returning home, she finds a letter from William, asking her to help him establish an anti-slavery reading room in Rochester. She agrees to work with him, but the project doesn't receive broad community support and fails. Linda spends the next year with the family of Isaac and Amy Post, well-known anti-slavery advocates whose Rochester, New York, home, was a well-known station on the Underground Railroad.

incidents in the life of a slave ch 10

Linda resumes her story from Chapter 7 about her relationship with the free black carpenter. Having refused the man's offer to buy Linda's freedom, Dr. Flint adopts a new tactic to try to win Linda's submission: He offers to build her a house and make her "a lady." In desperation, Linda decides to enter into a sexual relationship with Mr. Sands, a white lawyer who has shown an interest in her. Reasoning that he is unmarried, that he seems to be a gentleman, and that — if she consents to be his mistress — he will most likely buy her from Dr. Flint, Linda consents to his advances and becomes pregnant by him. The next time Dr. Flint approaches her, she experiences a moment of triumph when she tells him that she is carrying another man's child. When she tries to explain her situation to her grandmother, she finds it difficult to speak. Consequently, her grandmother, thinking that Linda has given in to Dr. Flint, turns her out of her house. Heartbroken at the thought that she has disgraced her family, Linda leaves in tears and finds shelter at a friend's home. After confessing her situation, the friend convinces her to send for her grandmother and tell her the truth. Linda does so, and the two women reconcile. Linda returns home to live with her grandmother. Concerned for her welfare, Linda's grandmother speaks to Mr. Sands, who promises to care for Linda and her child. Meanwhile, Dr. Flint is outraged at what he perceives as Linda's betrayal and tries to coerce her into revealing her lover's identity. When she refuses, he reaffirms his vow that she will remain his slave for life. Shortly before Linda's baby is born, her Uncle Phillip comes for a visit. Linda is ashamed of her condition and, at first, tries to avoid him. But she finally agrees to see him and is touched by his compassion. Linda is exhausted from physical and emotional stress, and she becomes critically ill, but refuses to let Dr. Flint treat her. Her baby is born prematurely and both mother and child are weak and sickly for a year, during which Dr. Flint visits them on occasion, meanwhile venting his wrath on Linda's brother, William, who works as his assistant. Gradually, Linda and her baby boy — who remains nameless — regain their strength.

George Moses Horton

Slave who sells vegetables in Chapel Hill. Men begin to pay him to write love poems for them. Begins to write poetry showcasing the hardships of slavery. "Division of an Estate" & "The Lover's Farewell"

Jupiter Hammon

~Focus on God and find religion, than their own liberty (freedom "An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley, An Evening Thought, Salvation by Christ, Address to the Negroes in the State of New York first African enslaved person to write and publish a poem

Phillis Wheatley's On Being Brought from Africa to America

-Wheatley's journey and mini-bio -Wheatley was brought from Africa to America -no education, taught by family -arrived in america and learned english after 16 months -lucky to have been brought from Africa, learned christianity that brought her peace, people hate blacks see them as inferior, commands that blacks should join the angelic train

Equiano Ch. 4

-equiano is told he can't get into heaven unless baptized and gets baptized -goes with master to mediterranean -richard baker dies on ship journey -French fleet nears, english prepare for war and claim 3 french ships -runs powder to guns (ship job) -go to sea again and ship catches fire after english ship accidentally hit it -return to portsmouth, hear war is over -master turns mean & cruel ordering equiano to stay on board, intends to sell equiano to other ship so he has no freedom -equiano is sold to Captain Doran

Clotel; or, The President's Daughter Ch 1

-fathering children with their slave women, and how this shows the "degraded and immoral condition of the relation of master and slave" -recites the slave laws, including that the master can correct and chastise, though not maim, mutilate or kill. -mixed-race women of great beauty, who would become mistresses of rich white men, who gave them dresses and money to pay their owners to compensate for their time away. The women paid high fees to their owners, the more beautiful the higher the price. -slave marriages were not a legal matter, ruled on marriages separated when one spouse was sold. Since they were separated without their free will and might never see each other again, the churches ruled that they could be re-married. William Wells Brown

The Lover's Farewell

-fellin love, was rejected, can't bear the memory anymore -man is going to leave home to distract from her memory -reminisces -if now with her due to death George Moses Horton

Interesting Narrative

-gives history of Eboe district of Guinea -law and marriage (no adultery, women more punished than men/woman is mans property) -4 division of artists that represented part of life: great achievement, employment, pathetic story -people lived plain and clean life -practical & convenient homes (fenced to keep slaves in, main house for master) community helps build family house for feast -Traders brought weaponry & slaves, gunpowder, hats beads, dried fish -Eboe only traded criminal slaves -agriculture explains to readers that understanding is not confined to race or skin color -Religion: 1 creator, spirits walk amongst living on earth -AA & whites related Olaudah Equiano

David Walker's Preamble & Article I

-introduces injustices that AA endured by the hands of whites -masters are ignorant because they see their slaves as inferior species -writes of Egyptians enslaving people but receiving consequences for such, implies repercussions of whites -believes blacks must take it upon themselves to overcome slavery -Blacks are the most degraded people of all time -marrying white woman is disgrace -american slavery worse than egyptian -disagrees with Jefferson negative statements of blacks -equal rights David Walker

Phillis Wheatley's Preface

-poems were written in Wheatley's leisure moments with no intention to publish "hoped the Critic will not severely censure their Defects; and we presume they have too much Merit to be cast aside with Contempt, as worthless and trifling Effusions." -master's letter will show difficulties she had to encounter -with all FLAWS poems are open to public

Equiano Ch. 3

-put on another ship to virginia -purchased from plantation, put on ship to england -befriends Richard Baker onboard, share master - they travel to points around north atlantic ocean w/ supplies -master promoted to bigger ship, equiano has to leave baker - arrive in french canada, sail back to england -english pursue french from ship attack, capture small ship -equiano and master go to London to recruit

Phillis Wheatley's To the University of Cambridge

-shows distinction between her background and the students in college -reminds that most essential knowledge is of Jesus dying for our sins -attests to God bringing her from a dark place to where she is now (enslaved) -sin leads to ruin and damnation -may be implying that enslaving is a deadly sin

Phillis Wheatley's To the Publick

-suggests that Phillis didn't actually write the poems -examined by judges to assure she is qualified to write the poems -was an "uncultivated barbarian from africa who now serves as slave

Narrative of the Life

-with the few facts he knows about his birth and parentage; his father is a slave owner and his mother is a slave named Harriet Bailey. Here and throughout the autobiography, Douglass highlights the common practice of white slave owners raping slave women, both to satisfy their sexual hungers and to expand their slave populations. In the first chapter, Douglass also makes mention of the hypocrisy of Christian slave owners who used religious teachings to justify their abhorrent treatment of slaves; the religious practice of slave owners is a recurrent theme in the text. Throughout the next several chapters, Douglass describes the conditions in which he and other slaves live. As a slave of Captain Anthony and Colonel Lloyd, Douglass survives on meager rations and is often cold. He witnesses brutal beatings and the murder of a slave, which goes unnoticed by the law or the community at large. Douglass argues against the notion that slaves who sing are content; instead, he likens singing to crying — a way to relieve sorrow. Douglass also draws attention to the false system of values created by slavery, in which allegiance to the slave master is far stronger than an allegiance to other slaves. When he is seven or eight years old, Douglass is sent to Baltimore to live with the Auld family and care for their son, Thomas. Mrs. Auld gives Douglass reading lessons until her husband intervenes; Douglass continues his lessons by trading bread for lessons with poor neighborhood white boys and by using Thomas' books. Soon, Douglass discovers abolitionist movements in the North, including those by Irish Catholics. Several years later, as a result of his original owner's death, Douglass finds himself being lent to a poor farmer with a reputation for "breaking" slaves. Douglass spends a year with Covey, who cruelly and brutally whips the slave until Douglass finally fights him. From that day on, Covey leaves Douglass alone. Douglass lives for a time with William Freeland, a kind master, and Douglass finds a family among the other slaves there. Douglass becomes a Sunday school teacher to other slaves, a position he enjoys. Although this situation is better than any he has experienced, it is still a far cry from freedom, so Douglass attempts to escape by canoeing up the Chesapeake Bay. He is caught and eventually finds himself working again for Hugh Auld in Baltimore. First, he runs errands for shipyard workers, but he after some of the workers heckle and strike Douglass, he fights back and is nearly beaten to death. Working at a different shipyard after the fight, Douglass becomes proficient at ship caulking, but he is forced to turn his wages over to Auld. Douglass soon makes an arrangement with Auld to hire himself out and give Auld a set amount of wages each week. Douglass is allowed to pocket the rest, thus saving enough for his escape to New York. After his escape, Douglass is advised to move to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and he settles there with his new wife, Anna Murray. Douglass makes a living doing odd jobs; he is unable to find work as a caulker, however, because the white caulkers refuse to work with blacks, fearing the former slaves will take over their jobs. Although he still fears being caught and returned to the South, Douglass attends an anti-slavery convention, where he is encouraged to speak. This forms the beginning of his life in the public eye, speaking and writing in favor of the abolition of slavery. Frederick Douglass

Harriet Wilson

1st African American woman to publish novel in US. wrote Our Nig

incidents in the life of slave girl ch 40

Disappointed by the failure of his business venture, William moves to California, taking Ben with him. Ellen continues to do well in school and when her teachers discover that she is the daughter of a fugitive slave, they do their best to protect her. Alone and unemployed once more, Linda returns to New York and decides to visit Mary and Mr. Bruce. She learns that Mr. Bruce has remarried and he invites her to be the nurse for his new child. Aware of the recent passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, Linda hesitates, but then decides to accept his offer. The new Mrs. Bruce is an American woman but, like the former Mrs. Bruce, she treats Linda with kindness and respect. As Linda considers the devastating consequences of the Fugitive Slave Law, she recalls that the law forced people who had lived in New York for as long as twenty years to uproot their families and escape to Canada. She specifically recalls the case of James Hamlin (Hamlet), said to be the first person arrested under the new law. She also tells a story about a slave named Luke and his cruel master, and Luke's eventual escape to Canada with his master's money. Linda also learns that Dr. Flint is once more on her trail. Mrs. Bruce helps her escape to New England and entrusts her with her own baby. Linda seeks refuge in the country, where she remains for a month. When she learns that Dr. Flint has given up his pursuit, she returns to New York.

incidents in the life of a slave girl ch 2

Dr. Flint, a neighborhood physician, had married the sister of Linda Brent's mistress, and Linda is now the property of their young daughter. The family also purchased her brother, William. The chapter opens with an incident concerning William, who is severely reprimanded by his father for answering to his mistress instead of his father after being summoned by both of them. Linda then recounts her friend's funeral, her father's sudden, unexpected death, and the sale of her grandmother. Her grandmother's mistress had always promised that, upon her death, the grandmother would be granted her freedom. But when the mistress dies, Dr. Flint reneges on this promise and puts Linda's grandmother up for sale. However, the sister of the deceased mistress purchases her, and, finally, her grandmother is granted her freedom. This chapter details vivid accounts of the Flint's cruelty and brutality — as well as that of neighboring slaveholders — toward their slaves.

Phyllis Wheatley

First published African-American woman

Harriet Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Defined herself as a "poor slave mother" pleading for security and freedom for her own children and for the children of other mothers still in bondage

Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl Ch 1

Linda Brent recounts the "unusually fortunate circumstances" of her early childhood before she realized she was a slave. Linda's father is a carpenter who — because of his extraordinary skills — is granted many of the privileges of a free man. The chapter introduces Linda's mother, her brother William, and her Uncle Benjamin, who is sold at age ten. Linda also introduces her maternal grandmother (referred to as Aunt Martha by the white community), a strong-willed, resourceful woman who establishes a bakery to earn money to buy her children's freedom. She manages to earn $300, which she loans to her mistress, who never repays her. When Linda is six years old, her mother dies. When she is 12, her mistress dies, and Linda is sold to the five-year-old daughter of her mistress' sister. Harriet Jacobs

incidents in the life of a slave girl ch 21

Linda hides out in her grandmother's garret (attic), a dark, cramped crawl space infested with rats, mice, and "little red insects." Able to see her children through a small opening in the wood but unable to communicate with them, she spends several miserable months suffering a myriad of ills, including fever and frostbite. Meanwhile, Dr. Flint tries to bribe her children into telling him about Linda's whereabouts.

incidents in the life of a slave girl ch 41

Linda receives several letters from her grandmother, one of which informs her that Dr. Flint is dead. Although somewhat relieved at the news, Linda realizes that she is still in danger from Dr. Flint's family. Shortly thereafter, Linda happens across a newspaper article announcing the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Dodge. Fearing that her former mistress will find her, Linda goes to Mrs. Bruce, who again helps her escape, sending her baby with her. When people come to the house looking for her, they are told that she no longer lives there. To confirm her suspicions that Dr. Flint's daughter and son-in-law have come to take her back with them, one of Linda's friends visits Emily and her husband and reports back to Linda. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bruce arranges to buy Linda for $300 and gives her her freedom. Linda's grandmother lives to rejoice in her granddaughter's freedom, but dies shortly thereafter. A short time later, Linda receives an obituary notice of Phillip's death. For a slave to have an obituary notice is an unusual and rare event. Free at last, Linda continues to live with Mrs. Bruce and her family and recalls that, despite all the pain she has endured, she has the comforting memories of her grandmother, who helped her survive her harrowing ordeal.

incidents in the life of a slave girl ch 5

Linda, age 15, describes the daily torments she must endure in the Flint household. Pursued by the lecherous Dr. Flint, age 55, she invokes the jealous rage of Mrs. Flint who, instead of trying to protect Linda, sees her as responsible for arousing her husband's lust. To illustrate that her plight is no different from that of countless other black women, Linda tells the story of two sisters who are raised together even though one is the others' slave. But although the white girl grows up and gets married, her darker-skinned sister is left behind to endure the shame and degradation of sexual exploitation by her master. When Dr. Flint realizes that he cannot coerce Linda into submitting to his advances with threats of violence or promises of favorable treatment, he comes up with a new scheme: He decides to bring his four-year-old daughter to his apartment and designates Linda as the child's servant, which requires her to sleep in the little girl's room at night. He then brings his daughter into his own bedroom, which requires Linda to sleep in his room. When Mrs. Flint hears of this arrangement, she is furious and demands that Linda swear on her Bible that she did not sleep with her husband. Linda readily does so, and Mrs. Flint, temporarily satisfied, promises to protect Linda from her husband. Consequently, she demands that Linda sleep in a room adjoining her own, where she keeps a constant watch over her, an arrangement Linda eventually finds even more nerve-wracking than being pursued by Dr. Flint. When this new arrangement no longer satisfies her, she begins accusing her husband of improper behavior in front of Linda. When Linda realizes that the immature, emotional Mrs. Flint is totally at the mercy of her manipulative husband, she knows that she cannot count on her for protection. Suspicious of the goings-on in the Flint household, Linda's grandmother offers to buy Linda's freedom, but Dr. Flint refuses, insisting that because Linda is the "property" of his daughter, he has no right to sell her. Meanwhile, Dr. Flint continues to pursue Linda, alternating his threats of violence with promises of favorable treatment and appeals to Linda's "ingratitude" for not appreciating his "kindness."

incidents in the life of a slave girl ch 29

Meanwhile, Mr. Sands makes plans to send Ellen to live with his sister in Illinois, while Benjamin is to live with Mr. Sands and his new wife. When Linda learns of the plans, she is devastated at the thought of not being able to see her children any longer, although she realizes that the moves would be in their best interests. Ultimately, Mr. Sands decides to send Ellen to live with some of his relatives in Brooklyn. On the eve of Ellen's departure, Linda comes out of hiding and spends the evening with Ellen. Six months later, Linda's grandmother receives a letter announcing Ellen's safe arrival in Brooklyn. About this same time, Aunt Nancy (Aunt Martha's twin sister) dies, and Linda's grandmother is devastated by her sister's death. Aunt Nancy's death also forces Linda to reexamine her situation and to renew her resolve to escape before she, too, dies as a slave. She also realizes that the longer she remains, the greater danger she poses for her grandmother, a fact that is brought home to her when she narrowly escapes being discovered by Jenny, the house slave of her former benefactress. With the help of Uncle Phillip and his friend Peter, plans are made for Linda and her friend Fanny to travel north. Before she leaves, Linda introduces herself to her son, Ben, whom she has not spoken to for seven years while she was in hiding. He confesses that he has known of her hiding place all along.

Lucy Terry

The first African American poet, although her 1746 poem "Bars Fight" was not published in her lifetime. Was born a slave, but her husband purchased her freedom and some of her children were able to go to college.

William Wells Brown

first African American to earn a living as a writer; antislavery lecturer, historian, playwright, political activist wrote the Clotel