"The Columbian Orator was of profound importance to the shaping of
the African American canon, through The Narrative of Frederick
Douglass. David Blight has done historians and literary critics a
profound service by so expertly editing this germinal text. A must
read for scholars of American and African American studies."
--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University "Thousands of young
readers in 19th century America learned about eloquence and liberty
from the stirring speeches, plays, and poems in The Columbian
Orator. When one reads it today--even better, reads it aloud- -its
eloquence speaks to us all." --Sydney Nathans, Duke University
"Frederick Douglass validated his manhood by giving Edward Covey,
his surrogate slave master, a good whipping. What inspired his
fists was not only manly rage, but liberating knowledge--knowledge
gained in part from his reading of The Columbian Orator. I read it
now and the words still inspire and inflame." --Ossie Davis First
published in 1797, The Columbian Orator helped shape the American
mind for the next half century, going through some 23 editions and
totaling 200,000 copies in sales. The book was read by virtually
every American schoolboy in the first half of the 19th century. As
a slave youth, Frederick Douglass owned just one book, and read it
frequently, referring to it as a "gem" and his "rich treasure." The
Columbian Orator presents 84 selections, most of which are notable
examples of oratory on such subjects as nationalism, religious
faith, individual liberty, freedom, and slavery, including pieces
by Washington, Franklin, Milton, Socrates, and Cicero, as well as
heroic poetry and dramatic dialogues. Augmenting these is an essay
on effective public speaking which influenced Abraham Lincoln as a
young politician. As America experiences a resurgence of interest
in the art of debating and oratory, The Columbian Orator--whether
as historical artifact or contemporary guidebook--is one of those
rare books to be valued for what it meant in its own time, and for
how its ideas have endured. Above all, this book is a remarkable
compilation of Enlightenment era thought and language that has
stood the test of time. Professor of History and Black Studies at
Amherst College, David W. Blight is the author of Fredrick
Douglass' Civil War: Keeping Faith in Jubilee and editor of the
Bedford Books editions of Narrative of the Life of Fredrick
Douglass, An American Slave and W. E. B. DuBois's The Souls of
Black Folk.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
