Tuesday, April 26 at 2:00 PM
The long fight against American slavery produced some of the most powerful autobiographies and works of fiction in American history. This four-session book discussion series offers the chance to learn about, read, and informally discuss four classics of the period by men and women, Black and white, who were central figures in the struggle to destroy race slavery in the United States.
Join Richard Bell, a professor of history at the University of Maryland, for short and vivid 30-min lectures about each work followed by an inclusive 60-min discussion driven by your own comments and questions. Participants should read the week’s book before each session.
Frederick Douglass, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
The best-known memoir written by a survivor of slavery, Douglass’ 1845 autobiography is seared through with his distinctive moral clarity and describes his youth on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and in Baltimore—and his burning desire for freedom. Recommended Edition: Dover, 1995. ISBN: 978-0486284996
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
The best-selling book of the nineteenth century, Stowe’s 1852 novel of plantation life is an adventure story, a romance, a sentimental tear-jerker, and a missionary tract all rolled into one. Readers either loved it or hated it and many people then and now believe its publication brought the nation to the brink of civil war. Recommended Edition: Dover, 2006. ISBN: 978-1591940555
William Wells Brown, Clotel
Clotel is the first novel ever published by an African American author. It’s an heroic escape story about a female fugitive which lightly fictionalizes the scandalous sexual relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. Recommended Edition: Penguin, 2003. ISBN: 978-0142437728
Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave
The source material for the 2013 Oscar-winning film, Twelve Years a Slave is Northup’s achingly powerful account of being kidnapped from upstate New York in 1841 and then sold into slavery in the Deep South, where he labored for more than a decade to try to escape and return to his family. Recommended Edition: Penguin, 2012. ASIN: B011MCYAXW
Athenaeum Members $60
Non Members $80
This is a virtual course.
