Tag: Phillis Wheatley

  • Introduction to Black Republicanism: Five Early Figures, Wheatley to Douglass

    Introduction to Black Republicanism: Five Early Figures, Wheatley to Douglass

    In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a small but influential group of Black intellectuals engaged deeply with Greco-Roman classics and the ideals of classical republicanism. This engagement was multifaceted in that they drew on ancient texts to demonstrate Black intellectual capacity in the face of racist denials. This challenged e.g., claims by Thomas…