John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown Books

Lorenz Graham wrote two children’s books about the (in)famous abolitionist, John Brown—a picture book, <i>John Brown’s Raid: A Picture History of the Attack on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia</i> (1972) and a biography for young adults, <i>John Brown: A Cry for Freedom</i> (1980). B...

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Main Author: Brigitte Fielder
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-10-01
Series:Humanities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/11/5/124
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author Brigitte Fielder
author_facet Brigitte Fielder
author_sort Brigitte Fielder
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description Lorenz Graham wrote two children’s books about the (in)famous abolitionist, John Brown—a picture book, <i>John Brown’s Raid: A Picture History of the Attack on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia</i> (1972) and a biography for young adults, <i>John Brown: A Cry for Freedom</i> (1980). Both books recount a history of Brown’s life and antislavery work, situated within Brown’s African American context and recounted from a Black perspective. While Graham’s books are exceptional in their extended treatment of this historic figure for a child audience, they are not unprecedented. This essay situates Graham’s children’s biographies of Brown in the long history of Black writers’ work on him—for both adults and children. Reading Graham’s John Brown in this context shows how Graham follows familiar traditions for encountering Brown within the larger context of Black freedom struggles. Graham’s books follow a rich tradition of presenting him to Black children.
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spelling doaj.art-121614d63205489b96f0827cf2b443802023-11-24T00:24:50ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872022-10-0111512410.3390/h11050124John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown BooksBrigitte Fielder0University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USALorenz Graham wrote two children’s books about the (in)famous abolitionist, John Brown—a picture book, <i>John Brown’s Raid: A Picture History of the Attack on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia</i> (1972) and a biography for young adults, <i>John Brown: A Cry for Freedom</i> (1980). Both books recount a history of Brown’s life and antislavery work, situated within Brown’s African American context and recounted from a Black perspective. While Graham’s books are exceptional in their extended treatment of this historic figure for a child audience, they are not unprecedented. This essay situates Graham’s children’s biographies of Brown in the long history of Black writers’ work on him—for both adults and children. Reading Graham’s John Brown in this context shows how Graham follows familiar traditions for encountering Brown within the larger context of Black freedom struggles. Graham’s books follow a rich tradition of presenting him to Black children.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/11/5/124John BrownLorenz GrahamAfrican Americanchildren’s literature19th-centuryBlack children
spellingShingle Brigitte Fielder
John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown Books
Humanities
John Brown
Lorenz Graham
African American
children’s literature
19th-century
Black children
title John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown Books
title_full John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown Books
title_fullStr John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown Books
title_full_unstemmed John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown Books
title_short John Brown, Black History, and Black Childhood: Contextualizing Lorenz Graham’s John Brown Books
title_sort john brown black history and black childhood contextualizing lorenz graham s john brown books
topic John Brown
Lorenz Graham
African American
children’s literature
19th-century
Black children
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/11/5/124
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