Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a
black woman born on
September 24, 1825 in
Baltimore County, Maryland,
U.S. to
free parents. Raised by her
aunt and
uncle,
Reverend William Watkins, she attended the
Free School for
Colored Children until she was thirteen.
Frances E.W. Harper published her first anthology of prose and poetry entitled Forest Leaves around 1845.
In 1894 she became director for the American Association of Education of Colored Youth and helped organize the National Association of Colored Women. Frances Harper was made a vice-president of the NACW in 1897.
A selection of her poetry entitled, Poems was published as part of the Black Heritage Library Collection in 1895.
Poems
Frances E.W. Harper died on
February 22, 1911 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sources:
- Classical Authors Directory:
- http://authorsdirectory.com
- The Underground Railroad Site:
- http://education.ucdavis.edu/NEW/STC/lesson/socstud/railroad/contents.htm