Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (b. 9/24/1825 - d. 2/22/1911)
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born as a complimentary woman during a fourth dimension of slavery inwards the the States of America. She was born to free African parents in Baltimore, Maryland on September 24, 1825.  In 1828, at the historic catamenia of three, her woman parent died together with she was sent to live on raised past times her maternal aunt who had married Rev. William Watkins. Rev. Watkins was a notable African Methodist Episcopal Church minister, a civil rights activist and an educator. Harper received her formal pedagogy at the family-operated Watkins Academy for Negro Youth.

After coming of age, Harper left the Watkins' residence to become a slavery abolitionist, women suffrage advocate, together with writer attributed to a issue of bully acts. For example, inwards 1858, at the historic catamenia of 33 -- together with earlier the U.S. Civil War -- Ms. Harper refused to ride inwards the “colored” department of a segregated trolley auto inwards Philadelphia. This was 100 years earlier Rosa Parks' bully correspond jurist inwards the USA.

Actively involved inwards the slavery abolishionist movement, Harper was a staunch advocate for equal rights for Africans inwards the young nation actively involved inwards trafficking of humans every bit slaves. She was a sought afterwards orator and spoke on the equality of all races together with genders, calling for increased temperance inwards civil society.



Photo of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper inwards her elderberry years.
Frances Harper's short flush "The Two Offers", first published in June 1859, is historically notable as the origin curt flush published past times an American woman of whatever race or ethnicity. By 1892, Harper would unwrap Iola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted, which many literary commentators distinguish every bit the origin new written past times an African-American woman.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 prolific poet, Harper published nine volumes of poesy all related to equal rights. Arguably her about famous verse form is “Bury Me In Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Free Land.” The flush behind the verse form is that it was written while Ms. Harper was traveling on a lecture tour inwards the belatedly 1850s. At the fourth dimension she wrote the poem, she was really sick and may convey idea she was writing a final testament to her people. A literary masterpiece, the poem was origin published inwards 1864.

BURY ME IN Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 FREE LAND
Make me a grave where'er you lot will,
In a lowly plain, or a lofty hill;
Make it alongside earth's humblest graves,
But non inwards a province where men are slaves.
I could non residuum if about my grave
I heard the steps of a trembling slave;
His shadow higher upwards my soundless tomb
Would go far a house of fearful gloom.
I could non residuum if I heard the tread
Of a coffle gang to the slaughter-house led,
And the mother's shriek of wild despair
Rise similar a curse on the trembling air.
I could non slumber if I saw the lash
Drinking her blood at each fearful gash,
And I saw her babes torn from her breast,
Like trembling doves from their parent nest.
I'd shudder together with start if I heard the bay
Of bloodhounds seizing their human prey,
And I heard the captive plead inwards vain
As they jump afresh his galling chain.
If I saw immature girls from their mother's arms
Bartered together with sold for their youthful charms,
My optic would flash with a mournful flame,
My death-paled cheek grow scarlet with shame.
I would sleep, beloved friends, where bloated might
Can rob no homo of his dearest right;
My residuum shall live on calm inwards whatever grave
Where none tin give the sack telephone telephone his blood brother a slave.
I enquire no monument, proud together with high,
To arrest the gaze of the passers-by;
All that my yearning spirit craves,
Is bury me non inwards a province of slaves.

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