African American Poetry 1760 - 1900

There are many avenues to travel down in search of poetry. The War Poets of both world wars produced some of the most profound poems which were borne out of terrible suffering. Their words echo in today´s world where such tragedies still occur. It was in this vein that I came across poetry written by men and women, African Americans, who lived through slavery and its emancipation. I became entranced by their use of the language, their eloquence and erudition. Most of these poets were slaves or free. Some had benefitted from benevolent slave owners in having an education, whereas others were self-taught. I was amazed to read works easily comparable to those of Emily Dickinson, but by people disadvantaged and cruelly treated.

A good deal of this poetry was influenced by the Christian Faith. Even in their suffering they realised that God´s justice would be done, despite the erroneous justice of men. They wrote in the Victorian style of English and did so with great panache. So eloquent were these men and women, a fair amount of their poetry was published during their lifetimes. They remain a credit to American Literature, often studied and quoted by present day writers, academics and politicians.

Men and women forcibly brought to the Americas by slave traders were soon to adapt to their new found environment with its different culture, language and religion. They integrated themselves into a hostile place and did so with dignity and heads held high. Despite their subjugation they excelled in many areas of American life. Today´s African Americans owe a debt of gratitude to their ancestors for their ingenuity and perseverance. They can easily pass unnoticed in a country where racism still plagues society. To breach this barrier is to discover a hidden treasure and well worth the effort. In a somewhat more liberated age and society black poets have achieved considerable fame, particularly those who write and perform rap.

I can recommend several African American poets from those distant times, Lucy Terry Price, Phillis Wheatley, Jupiter Hamond, George Moses Horton, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Fenton Johnson, Sterling Brown, Benjamin Banneker …amongst many others.