Abolitionist Literature
Daniela Silber, Maria Burgee, Jack Belyeu, Payton Conway
The Legacy of Frederick Douglass
- He is an accomplished writer, with impressive works such as "My bondage and My Freedom" and many more
- After his book "My Bondage and My Freedom" he went on a 2 year speaking tour around Great Britain
- He has advised presidents such as Abe Lincoln during the civil war
- He was a strong supporter of the Women's Rights movements
- A Vice President nominee
- He also worked with Andrew Johnson on the subject of Black Suffrage
- In 1838 Frederick changed his last name to Douglass after Sir Walter Scotts Poem of "The Lady Of The Lake"
- Escaped slavery at the mere age of 20
- His father was his mother's white slave owner
- Douglass was a democrat and republican because he didn't care about anything more than Black Rights so he took any route he could take
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1811. She attended and later taught at Hartford Female Seminary. Along with her interest for literature she had a passion for abolition, as well. Through this she was able to travel from her slave free state of Ohio to slave filled Kentucky. By viewing the horrors of slavery in Kentucky, she was able to write the controversial book Uncle Toms Cabin.
Uncle Toms Cabin helped to lay the foundation for the Civil War. It showcased the horrors of enslavement without censorship. This detailed depiction forced politicians to recognize the plight of slavery and create their stance on it. For example, President Lincoln recognized this piece as an important literary work in helping to get infuential people and their support for his agenda of abolishing slavery in the nation.
Life, Last Words and Dying Speech of Stephen Smith, a Black Man, Who Was Executed at Boston This Day Being Thursday, October 12, 1797 for Burglary.
Conclusion
The abolishinist writers and their pieces helped to drastically change viewpoints about social norma, political issues and american values. Writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass helped to influence and emphasis the resolutions of political issues involving slavery with their writings, "Uncle Toms Cabin" and "My Bondage And My Freedom". Social changes also followed these pieces due to them pointing out flaws in current American society. They also brought to light the hypocrisy and how outdated the social constructs of slavery and racism were.