Relating to African American / Black American people

The second of Douglass’ three autobiographies, ‘My Bondage and My Freedom’ details his transition from youth to adulthood, while under the bonds of slavery.Even when he manages to escape, he discovers that his struggles to be treated and seen as an equal aren’t over, even when he reaches the apparently-libertarian Northern states.Unflinching in his recollections of brutality and psychological torment, Douglass paints a picture composed of sadness, anger, and compassion.A stunning and important work. 'My Bondage and My Freedom' should be read by anyone and everyone.Frederick Douglass (1818-1995) was an American abolitionist and author. Born into slavery in Maryland, he was of African, European, and Native American descent. He was separated from his mother at a young age and lived with his grandmother until he was moved to another plantation.Frederick was taught his alphabet by the wife of one of his owners, a knowledge he passed on to other slaves. In 1838, he successfully escaped slavery by jumping on a north-bound train. After less than 24 hours, he was in New York and free.The same year, he married the woman that had inspired his run for freedom and started working actively as a social reformer, orator, statesman, and women’s rights defender.He remains most known today for his 1845 autobiography "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave."

For fans of American history and the abolition of slavery, 'Clotel' follows two sisters who are the fictional slave daughters of Thomas Jefferson. After Thomas Jefferson's death, Clotel and her sister Althesa encounter many hardships, with the women making heroic decisions in order to keep themselves safe and preserve their families.A harrowing story of huge importance, 'Clotel' is the first novel published by an African American. With historic overtones, the story looks at how slavery destroyed African-American families and tore them apart, and the difficulties mixed-raced people faced living in the mid-1800s.Those who enjoyed Ellen Watkins Harper's 'Iola Leroy' should certainly explore this gripping historical novel!William Wells Brown was a prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian in the United States. He was born into slavery in Montgomery County, Kentucky and escaped to Ohio in 1834 at the age of 19.He settled in Boston where he worked for abolitionist causes and became a prolific writer. His novel Clotel (1853), considered the first novel written by an African American, was published in London, where he resided at the time; it was later published in the United States.Brown was a pioneer in travel writing, fiction, and drama literary genres. In 1858 he became the first published African-American playwright and following the Civil War, in 1867 he published what is considered the first history of African Americans in the Revolutionary War. He was among the first writers inducted to the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, established in 2013.Brown was lecturing in England when the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law was passed in the US. As its provisions increased the risk of capture and re-enslavement, he stayed overseas for several years and traveled throughout Europe. After his freedom was purchased in 1854 by a British couple, he and his two daughters returned to the US.

For those interested in the history of slavery and the American Civil War, 'Up from Slavery' is the autobiography from American eudcator Booker T. Washington in which he describes his experiences of living as an enslaved child during the Civil War.Washington overcame many obstacles to get an education and throughout his autobiography, he gratefully reflects on the help of his teachers and philanthropists who helped educate Black and Native Americans.The autobiography was a best seller; much to do with its honest and historically significant depiction of the struggles that Washington faced.If you are eager to know more about the history of slavery, Sojourner Truth's 'Narrative of Sojourner Truth' will provide great insight into being a slave in the North.Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in Virginia in 1856. He is regarded as one of the foremost African American leaders of the late 19th century, and founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in 1881.He became a teacher after the Civil War, and was also a political adviser and writer.Washington's mother, Jane, worked as a cook for a plantation owner and his father was an unknown white man, most likely from a nearby plantation.From a young age, Washington worked carrying sacks of grain to the plantations mill. Despite the sacks weighing around 100-pounds and being too heavy for a young boy, he was often beaten for not working to a high enough standard.After the Civil War, Washington and his mother moved to West Virginia, where she married a freedman. The family was very poor, and nine-year-old Washington went to work in the nearby salt furnaces instead of going to school. He then worked as a houseboy for the wife of a local coal mine owner. She recognised his desire for education and allowed him to go to school for an hour a day during the winter months.He died in November, 1915, at the age of 59, of congestive heart failure.

Poetry can inspire, evoke, provoke and transport the reader. But this collection of 39 poems did even more - it broke barriers. This collection was written by Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American woman whose poetry writings were published.Seized from West Africa as a young girl, Phillis lived in Boston as a slave to the prominent Wheatley family where she learned to read and write, as well as undertaking lessons in the Bible, astronomy, geography, history and British, Greek and Latin Literature. By the age of 18, Phillis had amassed a decent quantity of poems and together with the Wheatley family, sought out a publisher. However, based on racial prejudices, Phillis was received with disdain in the United States. Attention was turned to London instead, where Phillis posted one of her poems, 'On the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield', to Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon and a well-off supporter of the abolitionist cause, who connected her with a bookseller although Wheatley still had to go through interrogation to prove that she was the author of her own work.This collection of poems shows the breadth and depth of her reading, and includes poems reflecting her Christian faith, her interest in Greek mythology and her admiration for well-known figures including Alexander Pope.'Poems on Various Subjects' is perfect for people who have read 'The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano'.Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) was an American poet who was the first African-American writer to be published. She was born in West Africa, sold into slavery aged seven or eight, then bought by the Wheatley family of Boston. They encouraged her to pursue her poetry as her talent became clear. But Wheatley had to go to London to find patrons to help her get her work published. When 'Poems on Various Subjects' was published in 1773, she gained fame in England and the African colonies - even receiving praise from George Washington and Voltaire. After being emancipated, she married the grocer John Peters. But they slipped into poverty and Phillis died in obscurity at the age of 31.