African-American Poetry: 1760-1900 The database of African-
American Poetry, 1760-1900, provides access to the full text of
the works of nearly 3,000 poems by 54 African-American poets of
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The database includes
the poems of such well-known figures as Paul Laurence Dunbar and
Phillis Wheatley and the verse of many lesser-known poets whose
works may only be found in anthologies or private libraries.
Most of the poets in the database were not acknowledged during
their lifetimes, but only granted recognition posthumously.
Covering a wide range of topics from slavery and abolition to
love and death, this collection provides a unique portrait of
early America through the reflections of African-American poets
during the 18th and 19th centuries. It contains a rich variety
of poetic styles and types including elegies, odes, ditties,
hymns, and sonnets. Generally, the policy has been to use first
editions whenever possible; later editions were selected if they
were more inclusive.