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" 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.
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