Poems by a Slave

About this book

This book of poems, published originally in 1829 and reprinted in 1837, was the second book written by George M. Horton. It addresses themes of love, Christianity, slavery, death, and nature. Horton was remarkable for several reasons: he was the first Black person and the first enslaved person to publish a book in the United States. He was the first enslaved person to protest their bondage through poetry. He is also the author of the first book of literature published in North Carolina. Horton attempted to gain enough money from publishing his poetry to buy his freedom. Unfortunately, this did not work, and Horton remained enslaved until 1865 when he was 67 years old. He traveled to Philadelphia but, disappointed with the racial discrimination even in the North, he emigrated to Liberia in 1867. - Summary by Elsie Selwyn