One of the most significant developments in current literary studies is the rediscovery and reevaluation of texts by British writers of African descent. This volume combines popular texts with hard-to-find selections in a format that enables students to place them in their historical and cultural contexts. For instructors, the collection offers reliable texts, stimulating context pieces, and the most useful modern critical essays. The book is divided into four sections: Narratives, Poetry, Voices (letters), and Criticism. Native African and African-heritage authors living in Great Britain and British colonies include Ukawasaw Gronniosaw, an African prince; John Jea, a preacher; Mary Prince, a slave living in the West Indies; and Juan Francisco Manzano, a slave living in Cuba.

The first black woman to escape from slavery in the British colonies and publish a record of her experiences, Prince vividly recalls her life in the West Indies, her rebellion against physical and psychological degradation, and her 1828 escape in England. A straightforward, often poetic account of a struggle for freedom.

'I have been a slave - I have felt what a slave feels, and I know what a slave knows ...'

Mary Prince recalls that in the slave market in Bermuda, where she was put up for sale, the buyers' talk 'fell like cayenne pepper into the fresh wounds of our hearts'. During her life as a slave she was taken from Bermuda to Turks Island and Antigua, eventually arriving in London where, in 1828, she reported the cruelty of her master and mistress to the Anti-Slavery Society.

The History of Mary Prince (1831) was the first life of a black woman to be published in Britain. This extraordinary testament of ill-treatment and survival was a protest and a rallying-cry for emancipation that provoked two libel actions and ran into three editions in the year of its publication.

This edition includes an introduction which discusses The History within the context of black writing, explanatory notes, a chronology, and supplementary material on enslavement and the case of Mary Prince.

Straightforward, yet often poetic accounts of the battle for freedom, three memoirs by courageous black women vividly chronicle their struggles in the bonds of slavery, their rebellion against degrading injustice, and their determination to attain racial equality. In "Narrative of Sojourner Truth," one of the most important documents on slavery ever written, a passionate African American abolitionist and champion of women's rights tells of her life as a slave, her self-liberation, and her tireless campaign for racial and sexual equality. "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" is the 1861 autobiographical account of the brutality of slave life by Harriet Jacobs, who speaks frankly of her master's abuse and her eventual escape, in a tale of dauntless spirit and faith. In "The History of Mary Prince, "the first black woman to escape from slavery in the British colonies and publish a record of her experiences vividly recalls her life in the West Indies, her rebellion against physical and psychological degradation, and her 1828 escape in England.

Mary Prince was born into slavery in Devonshire Parish, Bermuda. While she was later living in London, her autobiography, The History of Mary Prince, was the first account of the life of a black woman to be published in the United Kingdom. This edition of "The History of Mary Prince" is Volume 4 of the Black History Series. It is printed on high quality paper with a durable cover.

First published in England in 1831, "The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave Narrative" is one of the most important narratives of the slave experience in the Americas. This book describes in detail the reality of the slave experience: the dehumanization of Black people, the moral degradation of their masters, and the ever-present violence. Prince's story is also an important early defense of the humanity of people of African descent. She notes that slave masters "think that black people are like cattle, without natural affection. But my heart tells me it is far otherwise." Prince tells of her labor in the salt ponds of Turk's Island, her conflict with a hired mulatto woman, her spiritual life in the Moravian Church, and many other topics. Ultimately, she celebrates the desire and hope for freedom: "All slaves want to be free." After enduring years of cruelty and abuse at the hands of several families who successively owned her in Bermuda and the West Indies, Mary Prince traveled to London in 1828, in the service of the Woods family. There she was granted her freedom in accordance with English law. But England's anti-slavery ruling did not extend to Antigua, and, in order to remain free, Prince had to abandon hopes of rejoining her husband, who had been left behind.

Marie Prince possesses Bachelor and Masters of Arts Degrees from the S.U.N.Y., College at Buffalo, majoring in English Secondary Education and minoring in Art. She worked for many years in social services, helping individuals in Western New York to prepare for, and obtain, gainful employment. Since 2005 she has devoted her energy fulltime to artistic endeavours. She enjoys painting with acrylics and adding "found objects" to create the final work. Her objective is to tell a story that stimulates the viewer's imagination. Her latest project is a series of 43 collages, created to commemorate the achievements of each of the 43 men who have attained our nation's highest office. The effort took over a year to complete, with the artist approaching each piece with the reverence and integrity befitting our illustrious line of presidents.

Born in Bermuda in the late 18th century, Mary Prince was a Black woman who survived enslavement in the colonial world of the Caribbean. She orally told her story to a third party, who transcribed it. First published in England in 1831, "The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave" is one of the most important narratives of the slave experience in the Americas. This book describes in detail the reality of the slave experience: the dehumanization of Black people, the moral degradation of their masters, and the ever-present violence. Prince's story is also an important early defense of the humanity of people of African descent. She notes that slave masters "think that black people are like cattle, without natural affection. But my heart tells me it is far otherwise." Prince tells of her labor in the salt ponds of Turk's Island, her conflict with a hired mulatto woman, her spiritual life in the Moravian Church, and many other topics. Ultimately, she celebrates the desire and hope for freedom: "All slaves want to be free." While "The History of Mary Prince" does not quite attain the level of literary craftsmanship and psychological complexity as slave narratives by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs, it is still a powerful, authoritative, and important human testament. Mary Prince declares, "I have been a slave--I have felt what a slave feels, and I know what a slave knows." We of later centuries need to hear her words.