Ambivalent discussions & representations of black slavery
Phyllis Wheatley, domestic servant in ministerial household, the Americas’ first published black poet: “On Coming from Africa to America” [online reading] -- what idea of slavery does this give, and from what perspective?
Contrast to Phillip Freneau’s “To Sir Toby” [online reading] a poem against slavery by a white poet, and Equiano’s Interesting Life
While “founding fathers” such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin own black slaves, Franklin still speaks out against slavery through written pieces such as “A Conversation on Slavery” and “The Somersett Case” [online readings] -- how could a cultur