In 1789, before the abolition of slavery in Great Britain or the United States of America, poet William Blake quietly appealed to the public’s sense of humanity in Songs of Innocence with the poem, “The Little Black Boy.” In that same year, a former slave named Olaudah Equiano was catapulted to fame as a sympathetic face for the abolitionist movement with the publication of his autobiography. Olaudah Equiano became an internationally sought after public speaker and enjoyed the remarkable success of nine editions of his book within the five year span between 1789 and 1794, making him the...
In 1789, before the abolition of slavery in Great Britain or the United States of America, poet William Blake quietly appealed to the public’s sense...
