Published in Boston in 1833, Lydia Maria Child’s An Appeal in Favor of That Class of Americans Called Africans provided the abolitionist movement with its first full-scale analysis of race and enslavement. Controversial in its own time, the Appeal surveyed the institution of slavery from historical, political, economic, legal, racial, and moral perspectives and advocated for the immediate emancipation of the enslaved without compensation to their enslavers. By placing American slavery in historical context and demonstrating how slavery impacted—and implicated—Americans of all regions and races, the Appeal became a central text for the abolitionist movement that continues to resonate in the present day. This revised and updated edition is enhanced by Carolyn L. Karcher’s illuminating introduction, a chronology of Child’s life, and a list of books for further reading.

" A Romance of the Republic, published in 1867, was Lydia Maria Child's fourth novel and the capstone of her remarkable literary career. Written shortly after the Civil War, it offered a progressive alternative to Uncle Tom's Cabin. Writer, magazine publisher and outspoken abolititionist, Child defied the norms of gender and class decorum in this novel by promoting interracial marriage as a way blacks and whites could come to view each other with sympathy and understanding. In constructing the tale of fair-skinned Rosa and Flora Royal -- daughters of a slaveowner whose mother was also the daughter of a slaveowner -- Child consciously attempted to counter two popular claims: that racial intermarriage was "unnatural" and that slavery was a benevolent institution. But Child's target was not merely racism. Her characters are forced both to reconsider their attitudes toward "white" and "black" and to question the very foundation of the patriarchal society in which they live. Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880) is perhaps best known today as the editor of Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. She also founded the first children's magazine in America, Juvenile Miscellany, and compiled a highly successful domestic advice manual for women, The Frugal Housewife.

Harriet Ann Jacobs (1813 1897) was born into slavery in North Carolina, but escaped to the north to flee her owner's sexual advances. This autobiography was published under a pseudonym in 1861 to protect her family. She became involved with the Anti-Slavery Society, speaking at meetings in support of abolition. The book was aimed at middle-class white women, and stresses the impact of slavery on women's chastity, as slaves were frequently sexually exploited. She is highly critical of the nominal Christianity of the culture of the southern States. Much of the narrative deals with her efforts to regain her children, who had remained her master's property. Jacobs' first-hand account was an early publication of its type, and many found the abuse she suffered shocking and unbelievable. Jacobs became a role model for freed slaves, in taking control of her life, and helping others to adapt through education.