Early African American Poets by Thoughtco, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 02.24.20 Word Count 736

Early African American poets By ThoughtCo, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.24.20 Word Count 736

Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to publish a collection of poetry in 1773. She was not the only African American poet to publish during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was a poet who lived from 1872 to 1906. He is one of the most influential black poets in early American literature. Dunbar explored themes such as racial identity, love, heritage and injustice in his poems.

His works were all published during the Jim Crow Era. This was the time period that lasted from the Reconstruction Era to the civil rights movement. The name comes from a collection of laws that discriminated against African Americans. These were known as Jim Crow laws. The laws kept people of different races segregated. They allowed for discrimination against African Americans. Eventually, these laws were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dunbar was not America's first black poet. Other African American men and women had been writing poetry since colonial times. Who were these poets, and how did they lay the foundation for the African American literary tradition?

Lucy Terry Prince

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. The earliest known African American to recite a poem was 16-year-old Lucy Terry Prince. In 1746, Prince saw two white families attacked by Native Americans. The fight took place in an area of western Massachusetts known as "The Bars." Her poem "Bars Fight" was inspired by the event. It is considered to be the earliest poem by an African American. However, it would not be published for another 109 years. It was passed on by word of mouth until it was published in 1855 by Josiah Gilbert Holland in "History of Western Massachusetts."

Born in Africa, Prince was stolen from her home and sold into slavery in Massachusetts. Ten years after Prince recited "Bars Fight," she married her husband, Abijah Prince. A wealthy and free African American man, he purchased his wife's freedom.

Lucy Terry Prince died in 1821. She was remembered for her captivating style of speaking. Throughout Prince's life, she used the power of her voice to retell stories and defend the rights of her family and their property.

Jupiter Hammon

Jupiter Hammon was born as an enslaved person around the year 1711. He was taught to read and write even though he was never freed. He was the first African American poet to publish his work in the United States.

Hammon published his first poem in 1760. The title was "An Evening's Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penitential Cries." Throughout Hammons's life, he published several poems and sermons. A sermon is a lecture given at religious services.

During the Revolutionary War, Hammon was a member of the African Society of New York City. In 1787, Hammon presented the "Address to the Negroes of the State of New York." In his speech, Hammon said, "If we should ever get to heaven we shall find nobody to reproach us for being black, or for being slaves." Hammon's address was printed several times by abolitionist groups. Abolitionists were people who were against slavery and wanted to abolish it.

Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley published the book "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" in 1773. When she did, she became the first African American in history to publish a collection of poetry. She was also one of the first American women to do so.

Wheatley was born in western Africa around 1753 and was brought to Boston as a slave at the age of 7 or 8. She was purchased by the Wheatley family. The family taught her to read and write. When they realized her talent as a writer, they encouraged her to write poetry.

Wheatley received the praise of men such as George Washington and fellow African American poet, Jupiter Hammon. Her fame spread throughout the American colonies and England.

Wheatley was freed from enslavement around the time her first book was published. Wheatley died in 1874.

George Moses Horton

George Moses Horton became the first African American to publish poetry in the South.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Horton was born around the year 1797 on a plantation in North Carolina. Throughout his childhood, Horton was drawn to lyrics and began composing poems.

Horton worked for what is now the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he began writing and reciting poems for college students who paid him.

By 1829, Horton was publishing his first collection of poetry. It was titled "The Hope of Liberty." Horton gained the admiration of abolitionists from writing antislavery poetry. He remained enslaved until 1865. At the age of 68, Horton relocated to Philadelphia where he continued writing.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 Read the following statements.

1. Black poets have been writing about their experiences since before the Revolutionary War. 2. Many black poets experienced discrimination because of racist Jim Crow laws. 3. Abolitionists enjoyed the antislavery works of African American poets. 4. These poets each contributed to the growing African American literary tradition.

Which two statements are MAIN ideas from the article?

(A) 1 and 2

(B) 2 and 3

(D) 1 and 4

2 Read the paragraph from the section "Lucy Terry Prince."

The earliest known African American to recite a poem was 16-year-old Lucy Terry Prince. In 1746, Prince saw two white families attacked by Native Americans. The fight took place in an area of western Massachusetts known as "The Bars." Her poem "Bars Fight" is considered to be the earliest poem by an African American. However, it would not be published for another 109 years. It was passed on by word of mouth until it was published in 1855 by Josiah Gilbert Holland in "History of Western Massachusetts."

Which statement summarizes the paragraph?

(A) Prince was interested in becoming a poet when she was 16 and that was why she decided to write about families who were attacked.

(B) A poem that Prince recited about an event she witnessed was passed on by word of mouth until it was published more than 100 years later.

(C) Prince's most famous poem was published in 1855 by Josiah Gilbert Holland in the book "History of Western Massachusetts."

(D) A poem that is recited like the one by Prince can change many times over the years before it is finally written down or published.

3 How is the structure of the section "Jupiter Hammon" similar to the structure of the section "George Moses Horton"?

(A) Both sections use chronological order.

(B) Both sections use compare and contrast.

(D) "Jupiter Hammon" describes problems and "George Moses Horton" describes the solutions.

4 If the section "Phillis Wheatley" were organized using cause and effect, which sentence would come FIRST?

(A) When she did, she became the first African American to publish a collection of poetry.

(B) They also encouraged her to write poetry.

(D) Wheatley was freed from enslavement after her owner, John Wheatley, died.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.