Frances E.W. Harper Biography Poet (1825–1911)
Poet and orator Frances E.W. Harper, the child of two free black parents, publicly advocated for abolition and education through speeches and publications.
Synopsis
Frances E.W. Harper was born in 1825 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was able to attend school as the daughter of free Black parents. Her first poem collection, Forest Leaves, was published around 1845. The delivery of her public speech, "Education and the Elevation of the Colored Race," resulted in a two-year lecture tour for the Anti-Slavery Society. She died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1911.
Early Life
Born Frances Ellen Watkins on September 24, 1825, in Baltimore, Maryland, Frances E.W. Harper was a leading African American poet and writer. She was also an ardent activist in the abolitionist and women's rights movements. After losing her mother at a young age, Harper was raised by an aunt. She also attended a school for African American children run by her uncle, Reverend William Watkins.
Bright and talented, Harper started writing poetry in her youth. She kept on writing while working for a Quaker family after finishing school. In 1845, Harper published her first collection of poetry, titled Forest Leaves. She moved to Ohio five years later to teach domestic skills, such as sewing, at Union Seminary. The school was run by leading abolitionist John Brown. Harper became dedicated to the abolitionist cause a few years later after her home state of Maryland passed a fugitive enslaved people law. This law allowed even free Black people, such as Harper, to be arrested and sold into slavery.
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Thursday, March 17th 2022 at 9:32PM
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