Harper Flashcards
Who was the most popular African American poet of the 19th century?
HARPER
What did HARPER write in every literary genre?
stories, poems, essays, letters, novels, lectures, and published across periodicals
What did HARPER begin the tradition of?
African American protest poetry
What did HARPER believe was literature’s primary use?
for activism (to educate & inspire)
What happened to HARPER after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act (1850)?
became a “fugitive slave”
What motivated her to join the abolitionist cause?
Began lecturing for anti-slavery societies
active schedule: ex. 31 lectures in 20 cities over the course of 6 weeks
What was her activity post-Civil War through her 70s?
Teaching & lecturing in the South & helping to found the National Association of Colored Women
“Ethiopia”
Poem written by Harper
loc.gov/resource/var.1183/
“Eliza Harris”
inspired by fugitive slave character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin - contemporary image
loc.gov/resource/var.1183/
“The Slave Mother”
mother separated from her son at an auction
“Bury Me in a Free Land”
sentimentalism
“Learning to Read”
challenges of learning to read when it wasn’t allowed
“An Appeal to My Country Women”
post-Civil War, suffering continues in the South - region will be punished by God’s judgment
