Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's Books

The Complete Frances Harper

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Complete Frances Harper (2021) is a collection of writing by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Harper, the first African American woman to publish a novel, gained a reputation as a popular poet and impassioned abolitionist in the decades leading up to the American Civil War. Much of her work was rediscovered in the twentieth century and preserved for its significance to some of the leading social movements of the nineteenth century, including temperance, abolition, and women’s suffrage. As an artist for whom the personal was always political, Frances Harper served in a leadership role at the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and worked to establish the National Association of Colored Women, serving for a time as vice president of the organization. Included in this volume are her early poetry volumes, such as Forest Leaves (1845) and Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects (1854). In “Bury Me in Free Land,” an influential poem published in an 1858 edition of abolitionist newspaper The Anti-Slavery Bugle, Harper expresses her commitment to the cause of freedom in life or death terms: “I ask no monument, proud and high, / To arrest the gaze of the passers-by; / All that my yearning spirit craves, / Is bury me not in a land of slaves.” She reflects on the theme of freedom throughout her body of work, often examining her own identity or experiences as a free Black woman alongside the lives of her enslaved countrymen. The Complete Frances Harper also includes her four groundbreaking novels. Minnie’s Sacrifice (1869), originally serialized in the Christian Recorder, addresses such themes as miscegenation, passing, and the institutionalized rape of enslaved women using the story of Moses as inspiration. Sowing and Reaping (1876) is a novel concerned with the cause of temperance in a time when Black families were frequently torn apart by alcoholism. Trial and Triumph (1888-1889) is a politically conscious novel concerned with an African American community doing its best to overcome hardship with love and solidarity. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted (1892) is a story of liberation set during the American Civil War that deals with such themes as abolition, miscegenation, and passing. In these novels, poems, speeches from across her lengthy career as an artist and activist, Harper not only dedicates herself to her suffering people, but imagines a time “When men of diverse sects and creeds / Are clasping hand in hand.” With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Complete Frances Harper is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

561

Publisher

Graphic Arts Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1513217550

ISBN 13

9781513217550

Frances Harper

Poems, Prose and Sketches

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Frances Harper

Poems, Prose and Sketches

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Frances Harper: Poems, Prose, and Sketches (2021) is a collection of writing by Frances Harper. Harper, the first African American woman to publish a novel, gained a reputation as a popular poet and impassioned abolitionist in the decades leading up to the American Civil War. Much of her work was rediscovered in the twentieth century and preserved for its significance to some of the leading social movements of the nineteenth century, including temperance, abolition, and women’s suffrage. As an artist for whom the personal was always political, Frances Harper served in a leadership role at the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and worked to establish the National Association of Colored Women, serving for a time as vice president of the organization. Included in this volume are extracts of her early poetry volumes, including Forest Leaves (1845) and Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects (1854). In “Bury Me in Free Land,” an influential poem published in an 1858 edition of abolitionist newspaper The Anti-Slavery Bugle, Harper expresses her commitment to the cause of freedom in life or death terms: “I ask no monument, proud and high, / To arrest the gaze of the passers-by; / All that my yearning spirit craves, / Is bury me not in a land of slaves.” She reflects on the theme of freedom throughout her body of work, often examining her own identity or experiences as a free Black woman alongside the lives of her enslaved countrymen. In “Free Work,” she looks to something as simple as her own clothing and examines its connection—or lack thereof—to the institution of slavery: “I wear an easy garment, / O’er it no toiling slave / Wept tears of hopeless anguish, / In his passage to the grave.” Reflecting on the horrors of slavery through the lens of the everyday, Harper refuses to take for granted the significance of freedom in all of its manifestations, a reality which is sometimes as simple as the clothes on her back. In these poems and speeches from across her lengthy career as an artist and activist, Harper not only dedicates herself to her suffering people, but imagines a time “When men of diverse sects and creeds / Are clasping hand in hand.” With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Frances Harper’s Frances Harper: Poems, Prose, and Sketches is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

188

Publisher

Graphic Arts Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

151329332X

ISBN 13

9781513293325

The Novels of Frances Harper

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Novels of Frances Harper

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

The Novels of Frances Harper (2021) collects four works of fiction by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a pioneering figure in African American literature. Minnie’s Sacrifice (1869), originally serialized in the Christian Recorder, addresses such themes as miscegenation, passing, and the institutionalized rape of enslaved women using the story of Moses as inspiration. Sowing and Reaping (1876) is a novel concerned with the cause of temperance in a time when Black families were frequently torn apart by alcoholism. Trial and Triumph (1888-1889) is a politically conscious novel concerned with an African American community doing its best to overcome hardship with love and solidarity. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted (1892) is a story of liberation set during the American Civil War that deals with such themes as abolition, miscegenation, and passing. Minnie’s Sacrifice begins on a plantation in the American South. A slave named Miriam mourns the untimely death of her only daughter, Agnes, who succumbed while giving birth to a baby boy, leaving her son in her mother’s care. Visiting Miriam’s cabin later that day, Camilla, the master’s daughter, discovers a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy. Bringing this to the attention of her father, Camilla proposes that the boy be sent away from the plantation to be brought up as white. Trial and Triumph is the story of a young orphan girl. With few opportunities for education, and despite her affinity for reading, Annette faces prejudice and indifference from her community, who remain either cautiously protective of their children or too involved with their own problems to pay heed to another struggling youth. Sowing and Reaping is a tale of friendship and tragedy exploring the concerns of the temperance movement. Paul—whose father died young from alcoholism—always places morality ahead of opportunity, while John, a pragmatist at heart, decides to open a saloon. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted is the story of Iola Leroy, a free-born woman who was forced into slavery due to her mixed racial heritage. Her father Eugene, a wealthy slaveowner, set Iola’s mother free in order to marry her and start a family. When he died from a sudden illness, Eugene left his family in grave danger, and Marie and her children were soon torn from freedom by Eugene’s spiteful relatives. These novels by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a groundbreaking nineteenth century writer, inspired such figures as Zora Neale Hurston and Ida B. Wells. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Novels of Frances Harper is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

368

Publisher

Graphic Arts Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1513217569

ISBN 13

9781513217567

Complete Poems of Frances E.W. Harper

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Complete Poems of Frances E.W. Harper

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Frances Harper was renowned in her lifetime not only as an activist who rallied on behalf of blacks, women, and the poor, but as a pioneer of the tradition of 'protest' literature, whose immense popularity did much to develop an audience for poetry in America. This collection of her poems is drawn from ten volumes published between 1854 and 1901. Their main issues are oppression, Christianity, and social and moral reform. Consolidating the oral tradition and the ballad form, and merging dramatic details and imagery with a strong political and racial awareness, Harper's poetry represented a distinctly Afro-American discourse that was to inspire generations of black writers.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

300

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195052447

ISBN 13

9780195052442

Poems

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Poems

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Poems" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper is an affirmative and poignant collection that showcases the literary contributions of the 19th-century African American poet, abolitionist, and suffragist. Published during a time of great social upheaval, Harper's work reflects her commitment to social justice, equality, and the celebration of the human spirit. In this collection, readers can anticipate a series of poems that engage with themes such as freedom, justice, love, and the resilience of the human spirit. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, known for her eloquence and advocacy, likely weaves together verses that convey both the struggles and triumphs of marginalized communities during a pivotal period in American history. The title, "Poems," suggests a compilation that brings together a diverse array of Harper's poetic expressions. This anthology is likely to include works that reflect her multifaceted talent, showcasing both her lyrical beauty and her powerful messages of social reform. Harper's poetic style, marked by a combination of elegance and social consciousness, is likely evident throughout the collection. Her verses may feature a balance of aesthetic appeal and a call to action, inviting readers to reflect on the societal challenges of her time. In summary, "Poems" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper is an affirmative exploration of the poetic expressions of a trailblazing figure in 19th-century American literature. Through this collection, readers can engage with Harper's powerful verses, gaining a deeper understanding of her commitment to justice, equality, and the enduring power of poetry as a tool for social change.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

Publisher

BoD - Books on Demand

Published Date

ISBN 13

9791041988242

Shadows Uplifted

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Shadows Uplifted

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted (1892) is a novel by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. One of the first novels published by an African American woman, Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted is a story of liberation set during the American Civil War that deals with such themes as abolition, miscegenation, and passing. In North Carolina, a Union Army regiment welcomes a group of escaped slaves into its midst. Led by Robert Johnson and Tom Anderson, the fugitives appeal to the Union commander on behalf of a woman named Iola Leroy, who remains enslaved in town. Leroy, despite being born free, was forced into slavery due to her mixed racial heritage. Her father Eugene, a wealthy slaveowner, set Iola’s mother free in order to marry her and start a family. When he died from a sudden bout of yellow fever, Eugene unwittingly left his family in grave danger, and Marie and her children were soon torn from freedom by Eugene’s spiteful relatives. Although Iola had been sent North to study at a seminary, she is tricked into returning to the South and sold away from her family. Having told her story, Johnson and Anderson join up with the Union commander and his regiment to fight for Iola’s freedom. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted, which inspired Zora Neale Hurston and Ida B. Wells, is a groundbreaking work of African American fiction and a definitive masterpiece from a pioneer in her craft. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

166

Publisher

Graphic Arts Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1513276727

ISBN 13

9781513276724

Minnie's Sacrifice

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Minnie's Sacrifice

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Minnie’s Sacrifice (1869) is a novel by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Originally serialized in the Christian Recorder, Minnie’s Sacrifice is a rediscovered work of fiction from one of nineteenth century America’s most prominent black writers and activists. The novel, which addresses such themes as miscegenation, passing, and the institutionalized rape of enslaved women, is a vastly underappreciated work that repurposes the story of Moses to tell a tale with a powerful political message. On a plantation in the American South, a slave named Miriam mourns the untimely death of her only daughter. Agnes, who succumbed while giving birth to a baby boy in their cabin at the edge of Mr. Le Croix’s property, left her son in her mother’s care. Visiting Miriam’s cabin later that day, Camilla, the master’s daughter, discovers a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy. Bringing this to the attention of her father, Camilla proposes that the boy be sent away from the plantation to be brought up as white. Unable to accept that the boy should be considered a slave, Camilla begs her father to take the child north, all the while failing to connect her own father to the boy’s birth. After brief contemplation, he nervously consents to her plan, but for all her cunning and bravery, Camilla is entirely unprepared for what her merciful endeavor will reveal. Minnie’s Sacrifice, by an author who inspired Zora Neale Hurston and Ida B. Wells, is a groundbreaking work of African American fiction and a definitive masterpiece from Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a pioneer in her craft. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s Minnie’s Sacrifice is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

Publisher

Graphic Arts Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1513276735

ISBN 13

9781513276731

Sowing and Reaping

By: Frances E. W. Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Sowing and Reaping

By: Frances E. W. Harper

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) born to free parents in Baltimore, Maryland, was an African American abolitionist and poet. Her first volume of verse, Forest Leaves, was published in 1845, the book was extremely popular and over the next few years went through 20 editions. In 1850, she started working in Columbus, Ohio as a schoolteacher. Three years later in 1853, she joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and became a travelling lecturer for the group. She was also a strong supporter of prohibition and woman's suffrage. In 1892, she published a novel about a rescued black slave and the Reconstructed South, called Iola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted one of the first books published by an African American. Later, she wrote Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping and Trial and Triumph. Harper was a strong supporter of women's suffrage and was a member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

Published Date

ISBN 10

1406532622

ISBN 13

9781406532623

Poems

By: Frances E. W. Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Poems

By: Frances E. W. Harper

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

Published Date

ISBN 10

1406532614

ISBN 13

9781406532616

Iola Leroy Or Shadows Uplifted

By: Frances E. W. Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Iola Leroy Or Shadows Uplifted

By: Frances E. W. Harper

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a poet and abolitionist. She joined the American Anti-Slavery Society as a traveling lecturer. Iola Leroy was published in 1892 and tells the story of a black slave and the south after the Civil War. Iola was the daughter of a slave and a plantation owner. She was rescued by a Union soldier. When given the opportunity to marry and pass for white she declines the offer and instead marries a black doctor and returns to South Carolina. Iola fights to uplift her race and searches for her family. Frances Harper tells the story of this young black woman along with moral lessons and practical life lessons.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

216

Published Date

ISBN 10

1605979503

ISBN 13

9781605979502

A Brighter Coming Day

A Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Reader

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Brighter Coming Day

A Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Reader

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) was the most important and the most popular black feminist abolitionist writer and activist of the nineteenth century. A Brighter Day Coming, the most comprehensive collection of her works, includes all the poems from Harper's extant original volumes, plus many that have never been collected and one that was discovered in manuscript; speeches; and a selection of prose, including excerpts from the novel Iola Leroy and the serialized novel Fancy Etchings, and a generous group of letters ..."--Back cover.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

438

Publisher

Feminist Press at CUNY

Published Date

ISBN 10

1558610200

ISBN 13

9781558610200

Complete Poems of Frances E.W. Harper

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Complete Poems of Frances E.W. Harper

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

300

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195052447

ISBN 13

9780195052442

Iola Leroy

By: Frances Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Iola Leroy

By: Frances Harper

Iola Leroy was originally published in 1892, during a time of black disenfranchisement, lynching, and Jim Crow laws. It is the story of a "refined mulatto" raised to believe she's white until she and her mother are sold into slavery. Iola becomes an outspoken advocate for her people and a critic of race-mixing. Her story offers an important portrait of black life during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

316

Publisher

Beacon Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0807065196

ISBN 13

9780807065198

Iola Leroy

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Iola Leroy

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

A landmark account of the African American experience during the Civil War and its aftermath First published in 1892, this stirring novel by the great writer and activist Frances Harper tells the story of the young daughter of a wealthy Mississippi planter who travels to the North to attend school, only to be sold into slavery in the South when it is discovered that she has Negro blood. After she is freed by the Union army, she works to reunify her family and embrace her heritage, committing herself to improving the conditions for Blacks in America. Through her fascinating characters-including Iola's brother, who fights at the front in a colored regiment-Harper weaves a vibrant and provocative chronicle of the Civil War and its consequences through African American eyes in this critical contribution to the nation's literature.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

257

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

ISBN 10

1101655941

ISBN 13

9781101655948

Written by Herself

Literary Production by African American Women, 1746-1892

By: Frances Smith Foster

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Written by Herself

Literary Production by African American Women, 1746-1892

By: Frances Smith Foster

...substantial contribution to African-American Studies and women's studies." --Mississippi Quarterly "A bravura performance by an accomplished scholar... it strikes a perfect balance between insightful literary analysis and historical investigation." --Eighteenth-Century Studies "... an impressive study of a wide range of writers.... Foster's work is both scholarly and accessible. Her prose is economical and direct, making this book enjoyable as well as instructive." --Belles Lettres "... an impressively wide-ranging discussion of texts and contexts... " --Signs "Foster has written a fine book that provides the reader with a context for understanding the importance of the written word for women who chose to 'set the record straight'." --Journal of American History "... fascinating, meticulously researched... Likely to prove seminal in the field... highly recommended... " --Library Journal " Written by Herself comprises a volume of remarkable female characters whose desires for social change often made them catalysts for spiritual awakening in their own times." --MultiCultural Review "... an outstanding piece of scholarship... Foster's book offers deeply intelligent, provocative, totally accessible analysis of a tradition and of writers still not sufficiently read and taught." --American Literature "Well written and thoroughly researched. Highly recommended... " --Choice The first comprehensive cultural history of literature by African American women prior to the 20th century. From the oral histories of Alice, a slave born in 1686, to the literary tradition that included Jarena Lee and Octavia Victoria Rogers Albert, this literature was argument, designed to correct or to instruct an audience often ignorant about or even hostile to black women.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

224

Publisher

Indiana University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

025320786X

ISBN 13

9780253207869

Written by Herself

Literary Production by African American Women, 1746-1892

By: Frances Smith Foster

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Written by Herself

Literary Production by African American Women, 1746-1892

By: Frances Smith Foster

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

224

Publisher

Indiana University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

025320786X

ISBN 13

9780253207869

Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping, Trial and Triumph

Three Rediscovered Novels

By: Frances Harper

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping, Trial and Triumph

Three Rediscovered Novels

By: Frances Harper

Winner of the College Language Association Book Award Frances Smith Foster has rediscovered three novels by Frances E. W. Harper, the best-known African-American writer of the nineteenth century and author of the classic Iola Leroy. Originally serialized in issues of The Christian Recorder between 1868 and 1888, these works address issues of passing, social responsibility, courtship, sexuality, and temperance, and are the first to have been written specifically for an African-American audience.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

318

Publisher

Beacon Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0807062332

ISBN 13

9780807062333

Iola Leroy - Shadows Uplifted

With an Introductory Chapter by George F. Bragg

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper,George F. Bragg

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Iola Leroy - Shadows Uplifted

With an Introductory Chapter by George F. Bragg

By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper,George F. Bragg

“Iola Leroy - Shadows Uplifted” is a 1893 novel by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Set to the backdrop of the Civil War, the story revolves around Iola Leroy, daughter of a wealthy slaveholder who emancipated and married a young slave called Marie after she nursed him through an illness. The children's African ancestry was hidden from them until the death of their father, after which point Marie and her children were once again legally considered slaves. One of the first books to be written by an African American women, “Iola Leroy” is a must read for those with an interest in American history. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911) was a suffragist, abolitionist, poet, public speaker, educator, and writer. She was among the first African American women to be published in the United States and belonged to a number of progressive organizations, including the Colored Section of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Women's Christian Temperance Union and the National Association of Colored Women. Other notable works by this author include: “Forest Leaves” (1845), “Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects” (1854), and “The Two Offers” (1859). Read & Co. Classics is proudly republishing this classic novel now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter by George F. Bragg.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

208

Publisher

Read Books Ltd

Published Date

ISBN 10

1528791045

ISBN 13

9781528791045

'Til Death Or Distance Do Us Part

Love and Marriage in African America

By: Frances Smith Foster

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

'Til Death Or Distance Do Us Part

Love and Marriage in African America

By: Frances Smith Foster

Conventional wisdom tells us that marriage was illegal for African Americans during the antebellum era, and that if people married at all, their vows were tenuous ones: "until death or distance do us part." It is an impression that imbues beliefs about black families to this day. But it's a perception primarily based on documents produced by abolitionists, the state, or other partisans. It doesn't tell the whole story. Drawing on a trove of less well-known sources including family histories, folk stories, memoirs, sermons, and especially the fascinating writings from the Afro-Protestant Press,'Til Death or Distance Do Us Part offers a radically different perspective on antebellum love and family life. Frances Smith Foster applies the knowledge she's developed over a lifetime of reading and thinking. Advocating both the potency of skepticism and the importance of story-telling, her book shows the way toward a more genuine, more affirmative understanding of African American romance, both then and now.

Average ratings

N/A