Shining Stars: African American Women Authors of the Civil War Era

These Civil War­–era women described aspects of their lives as enslaved people alongside their strategizing for freedom. Thus, their autobiographies are also accounts of the women’s fuller lives and experiences. Elizabeth Keckley and Ellen Craft, pictured below, in their autobiographies, Behind the Scenes, or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House and Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom; or, The Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery, told the stories of their quests for freedom and the many activities that surrounded these quests. They shared their motivation to seek freedom and discussed their aspirations for a free life. Both revealed the difficult and harsh treatment they received as enslaved women, but also aspects of their lives where they were able to find joy.

The newspaper articles in the project are also a means to learn more about the lives of the authors. The newspaper articles featuring Elizabeth Keckley reflect the controversies that surrounded her after her narrative was published. One article in the Washington Evening Star reported, “They have not yet found in the Lincoln period another colored woman, reared in slavery, and, therefore, as they assert, naturally unlettered, who had even a knowledge of the alphabet, much less the ability to write as good and vigorous English as was being written in that day. Therefore, they have doubted that the Mrs. Keckley, an ex-slave, whose name is attached to the book, wrote it.” For more about this controversy, see the entire newspaper article. After her successful escape disguised as a plantation owner traveling with her husband as her enslaved valet, Ellen Craft, on the other hand, received enthusiasm over her savvy. A report in the Anti-Slavery Bugle newspaper marveled at her “intellectual capability to successfully impersonate a southern gentleman.” The newspaper articles featuring these two ladies offer glimpses of the perceptions of these authors during their time, whether controversial or complimentary.

The newspaper articles in the project generally offer additional context for the lives of the authors by highlighting their intellectual activities, community activism, and professional achievements, thus giving the opportunity to learn more about the authors’ contributions to society and providing inspiration for users to pursue social justice activities today.