Unchained Voices

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In this comprehensive anthology, Vincent Carretta presents a diverse collection of writings by eighteenth-century individuals of African descent, many of whom are heard for the first time in over two centuries. The works span various genres—letters, poems, captivity narratives, and antislavery arguments—reflecting the complex experiences of blacks across America, Britain, the West Indies, and Africa from 1760 to 1798. A recurring theme of liberation from physical or spiritual captivity is evident, though freedom often brought hardship and disappointment for many authors. Figures such as Briton Hammon, James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, and Olaudah Equiano share their experiences as Afro-Britons, while others like Benjamin Banneker and Phillis Wheatley express their identities as African Americans. Writers from Jamaica, such as Francis Williams, and those like David George, who lived in Canada after the American Revolution, also contribute their narratives. Carretta's introduction provides historical and cultural context, highlighting the constraints of the genres in which these authors wrote. The anthology is based on extensive research in archives across the U.S. and U.K., making it suitable for both undergraduates and scholars, while illuminating key literary and cultural issues in African literature written in English.