African American Women In The 19th Century

The 18th and 19th centuries, though facing difficulties from white oppressors, African American women were taking action by contributing their help and skills in the United States. Women dealt with the separation from their families, working in the fields with their infant children and sexual exploitation from their masters. As the cruel years past for the African American, women would find ways through creativity, abolition and community building to shape the way for America in years to come.
Black slaveholding women served their masters and most at times were seamstresses. They produced clothing made from homespun cotton and wool with the help of trained house servants. African American women were skilled in making clothing and used their
There were inventors, professionals with degrees, artists, musicians, and authors. One of the best-known African American artist was a woman named Edmonia Lewis and supported the anti-slavery movement through artistic work. Lewis enrolled at Oberlin college in Ohio, studied sculpture in Rome and “her works, which emphasized African American themes, came into wide demand after the Civil War” (Hine, Hine, Harold pg. 148). The “Black Swan” or Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, was a gifted professional black singer raised by Quakers and best known for her vocal range. Another way to express their emotions other then vocally was through literature. This Antebellum period was the golden age for African Americans with authors and poets. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an anti-slavery speaker and her poetry published “depicted the suffering of slaves”. Another creative woman in African American history was Harriet E. Wilson. She is the first black woman publisher in the United States in 1859 with her work “comparing the lives of black domestic workers in the North with those of southern slaves” (Hine, Hine, Harold pg.