A Tribute for the Negro
 | |
| Author | Wilson Armistead |
|---|---|
| Subject | Anti-slavery |
| Genres | Political philosophy |
Publication date | 1848 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Text | A Tribute for the Negro at Internet Archive |
A Tribute for the Negro: being a vindication of the moral, intellectual, and religious capabilities of the coloured portion of mankind; with particular reference to the African race (1848), written by the Leeds-based British abolitionist Wilson Armistead (1819-1868), is a work that published indictments of scientific racism, as well as slavery, and included biographies of a number of prominent campaigners including Henry Highland Garnet and Phyllis Wheatley.[1][2] It was one of a number of anti-slavery books published in the 1800s by social reformers.[3] The book was dedicated to James Pennington,[4] Frederick Douglass, Alexander Crummel, "as well as many other elevated noble examples of elevated humanity of the negro".[1] Its purpose was to argue and present evidence for the accomplishments of African Americans and act as a treatise of support.[5]
Reception
Douglass himself had a mixed reaction to the book: he was displeased with the fact that the image of him included was doctored to make him appear to be smiling.[1] In his 1849 review, published in the North Star, he was also critical of further illustrations in the book, stating that white artists could not create "impartial portraits" of African Americans.[6][7] Overall, Douglass felt poorness the images took away from the message of the prose.[6] In later editions of the book, the image of Douglass changed to use one of him created by an American, rather than a British engraver.[8]
In 1883 the book was described by The Atlantic as "encyclopaedic" in its coverage of African American achievements.[9]
Historiography
Historian Herman E. Thomas has emphasised the importance of the book, both in the study of the reception of James Pennington, but as a text providing positive examples of African American life.[8] Nevertheless, historian Jasmine Cobb has described how the poor depiction of African American people in works such as A Tribute for the Negro perpetuated misconceptions of them to audiences, despite the positive intentions of the authors.[6] Meanwhile, critic and historian, Henry Louis Gates Jr. classified the depictions as a series of racist caricatures that Douglass spoke out on.[7] Julia Sun-Joo Lee has discussed how criticism of the portrait in Britain came from Charles Dickens, although it is unclear whether his objections were the same as Douglass' or were based more on an exoticisation of Douglass and other black abolitionists that was popular at the time.[8]
References
- ^ a b c Sinha, Manisha (2016-02-23). The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition. Yale University Press. p. 346. ISBN 978-0-300-18208-8.
- ^ Adi, Hakim (2022-09-01). African and Caribbean People in Britain: A History. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-1-80206-067-6.
- ^ Fikes, Robert (1984). "Blacks in Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America: A Bibliographical Essay". A Current Bibliography on African Affairs. 17 (2): 113–128. doi:10.1177/001132558501700202. ISSN 0011-3255.
- ^ Thomas, Herman Edward. AN ANALYSIS OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF JAMES WC PENNINGTON, A BLACK CHURCHMAN AND ABOLITIONIST. Hartford Seminary, 1978.
- ^ Thomas, Herman E. (2019-05-23). James W.C. Pennington: African American Churchman and Abolitionist. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-73063-7.
- ^ a b c Cobb, Jasmine (2022). "Partial Portraits: African Americans in Harper's New Monthly Magazine". The Journal of the Civil War Era. 12 (4): 503–527. doi:10.1353/cwe.2022.0066. ISSN 2159-9807.
- ^ a b Gates, Henry Louis (2015). "Frederick Douglass's Camera Obscura: Representing the Antislave "Clothed and in Their Own Form"". Critical Inquiry. 42 (1): 31–60. doi:10.1086/682995. ISSN 0093-1896.
- ^ a b c Lee, Julia Sun-Joo (2010-04-09). The American Slave Narrative and the Victorian Novel. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-539032-2.
- ^ "The Negro Race in America". The Atlantic. 1883-04-01. Retrieved 2023-02-21.