10.3 Harper's role in post-Civil War literature and activism

Frances E.W. Harper was a key figure in post-Civil War literature and activism. She used her writing to address issues like racial uplift, education, and women's rights during the Reconstruction era, a time of significant change for African Americans.

Harper's novel "Iola Leroy" and her poetry collections blended social commentary with literary artistry. She was also a prominent abolitionist and civil rights activist, using her platform to advocate for racial equality and women's suffrage.

Harper's Work in Post-Civil War Literature

Reconstruction Era Context and Themes

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• Reconstruction era (1865-1877) marked significant social, political, and economic change for African Americans
  • Characterized by progress and setbacks in civil rights
  • Newly freed slaves faced unique challenges and opportunities
• Post-Civil War African American literature emerged as powerful expressive tool
  • Conveyed experiences, aspirations, and challenges of freed slaves and descendants
  • Developed distinct literary tradition challenging racial stereotypes
• Harper's writing focused on pressing issues of the time
  • Racial uplift
  • Education
  • Temperance
  • Women's rights

Harper's Literary Contributions

• Novel "Iola Leroy" (1892) considered one of first published by African American woman
  • Addressed themes of racial identity, passing, and social reform
  • Explored complexities of mixed-race experience in post-Civil War society
• Poetry collections showcased blend of social commentary and literary artistry
  • "Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects" (1854)
  • "Atlanta Offering" (1895)
• Utilized various literary forms to advocate for social justice
  • Short stories
  • Essays
  • Speeches
• Employed sentimental and didactic elements in writing style
  • Aimed to evoke emotional response and moral instruction in readers
  • Contrasted with more confrontational approaches of some contemporaries (Frederick Douglass)

Harper's Contributions to Social Justice

Abolitionist and Civil Rights Activism

• Prominent figure in abolitionist movement
  • Used oratory skills and writing to advocate for end of slavery
  • Promoted rights of freed slaves post-emancipation
• Member of American Equal Rights Association
  • Worked to promote both racial equality and women's suffrage
  • Addressed intersectionality of race and gender discrimination
• Delivered lectures and speeches across United States
  • Raised awareness about challenges faced by African Americans and women
  • Focused on issues of education and political rights
• Involved in establishing schools for freed slaves
  • Advocated for educational opportunities for African American children
  • Emphasized education as key to advancement and empowerment

Writing and Publishing for Social Reform

• Essays and articles published in various publications
  • "Anti-Slavery Standard"
  • "Christian Recorder"
• Used publications as platform to reach wide audience
  • Disseminated ideas on social reform
  • Challenged prevailing racial and gender stereotypes
• Concept of "uplift" emphasized in writings
  • Stressed importance of moral and intellectual development
  • Viewed as means of advancing African American community
  • Influenced later civil rights movements (Civil Rights Movement of 1950s-60s)

Temperance and Women's Rights Advocacy

• Involved with Women's Christian Temperance Union
  • Connected issue of alcohol abuse to broader social problems affecting African American communities
  • Advocated for temperance as means of community improvement
• Promoted women's suffrage alongside racial equality
  • Recognized unique challenges faced by African American women
  • Argued for inclusive approach to women's rights movement

Harper vs Contemporaries in the Struggle for Justice

Approaches to Racial Uplift and Integration

• Harper's approach to racial uplift compared to Booker T. Washington
  • Both emphasized education and self-improvement
  • Harper placed greater emphasis on political rights and social equality
• Vision of integrated society based on merit and character
  • Contrasted with some African American leaders advocating for separatism
  • Promoted interracial cooperation and understanding
• Consistently addressed interconnected nature of race and gender discrimination
  • Differed from contemporaries focused solely on racial issues
  • Recognized unique challenges faced by African American women

Literary Style and Social Commentary

• Harper's use of literature as vehicle for social commentary similar to Charles Chesnutt
  • Both used fiction to explore racial issues and social reform
  • Harper's work often had more overtly didactic tone
• Sentimental and didactic elements in Harper's writing
  • Aimed to evoke emotional response and moral instruction
  • Contrasted with more confrontational approach of writers like Frederick Douglass
• Blended Christian morality and social reform principles
  • Aligned with religious reformers of the time
  • Uniquely applied these principles to issues of racial and gender equality

Critiques of Contemporary Movements

• Criticized racial prejudices within women's rights movement
  • Advocated for more inclusive approach to suffrage
  • Challenged white suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton on issues of race
• Emphasized importance of addressing both racial and gender discrimination
  • Recognized limitations of focusing solely on one aspect of identity
  • Promoted intersectional approach to social justice (before term was coined)
• Questioned effectiveness of certain abolitionist tactics
  • Advocated for more pragmatic and educational approaches
  • Emphasized importance of changing hearts and minds through literature and reasoned argument