Thomas Wentworth Higginson is little known today; but during his own lifetime his remarkable activism put him at the very heart of the pivotal social movements reshaping America for the nineteenth century and beyond. Born in Cambridge; he was a fervent abolitionist; running guns to anti-slavery settlers and financing John Brown's raid. During the Civil War; he commanded the first black unit to fight for the Union; and their achievements (publicized in his classic Army Life in a Black Regiment) opened the way for further black enlistment. He also championed women's rights for sixty years; lecturing and agitating for suffrage. His lifelong correspondence with Emily Dickinson led to his editing her verse for publication; which some have called his greatest literary legacy. But in fact that legacy is here; in the essays he wrote about the many causes to which he dedicated his life. With this volume Meyer has guaranteed the rediscovery of a major American figure whose ideas made him a radical in his society but a visionary in ours.
#940358 in Books Benjamin Quarles 1991-03-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .73 x 5.00l; .85 #File Name: 0306804255320 pagesISBN13: 9780306804250Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Well WrittenBy AvidReaderI've read several books by Benjamin Quarles and each one is really fascinating. He does a great job of presenting the full story with well documented history from original sources. This book presents forgotten heroes with the courage to rise up against the incredible evil. He traces the progress of black abolitionists as they became early civil rights leaders. Our schools really need these stories of people like David Walker who published a book that caused the states of South Carolina; Georgia and more to pass laws against free speech because he had told the slaves to rise up and serve no master but Christ. There's so much more in this powerful book which should be required reading for anyone studying Civil War history.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A pioneering historyBy Rob ForbesQuarles virtually founded the history of black abolitionism; and he set the bar very high. Before Black Abolitionists; the story of antislavery was viewed almost completely as a matter of selfless; dedicated--or fanatical--whites; with blacks in the roles of desperate fugitives or bit players. Quarles up-ended the narrative and demonstrated that blacks were the key actors; with whites--with very few exceptions--taking at best supporting roles. This is an essential starting point for anyone interested in the antislavery movement or 19th-century U.S. society and reform.19 of 20 people found the following review helpful. The "new school" Negroes' role in the Aboltionists crusade.By A CustomerI recently reviewed this exceptional book for a college history class: Benjamin Quarles did an exceptional job in supporting his well-balanced and non-biased arugment that even though widely neglected in history; the Negro played a significant role in the abolitionists crusade. Quarles's use of Primary sources made this non-biased argument possible. A quick summary of the book is as follows: The "new school" movement began in the late 1820s to the early 30s; and it gave free Negroes the opportunity to publicly speak their views on slavery and the equality of blacks. Even though not all blacks were abolitionists; their general attitude was; as John Scoble stated in 1853; "'...[to be] true to their brethren in bonds...and to remain by them whatever the cost'" (p.7). Whether he be free-born or slave-born; man or woman; an active aboltionist or a supporter of abolition; the Negro was true to his brother in slavery. Evidence of this was shown in Negro reformist sheets; and narratives written by former slaves. The kinship Negroes felt toward the slave was also shown in the formation of anti-slavery societies; in the trips to England in hopes of gaining anti-slavery support; and Negro participation in The Underground Railroad. This book is an excellent account of the Negro participation in the abolitionist movement; long neglected in history. The fact that this book has a well-balanced; greatly supported; easy to read; and truthful arument; makes it exceptional. Quarles said it best when he noted; "To the extent that America had a revolutionary tradition; [the Negro] was its protagonist no less than its symbol" (p.249). One will never feel the same about the Negroes' union in their struggle for freedom and equality; after he reads; Black Aboltionists; by Benjamin Quarles.
