Mary Ann Shadd Cary: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century

by Jane Rhodes

" . . . an extraordinary and richly contextualized biography that highlights the engagement and agency of a little-known African American activist who challenged the obstacles gender and race posed for her." ―The Journal of American History "Rhodes provides a well-researched, balanced, clearly written assessment of the extraordinary life of this trailblazing African American feminist and reformer." ―Choice "In this book we see how a courageous and pugnacious journalist-activist fought arduously to attain freedom from male dominance and establish a model for future feminists." ―Quill & Scroll "Jane Rhodes' wonderful biography of Mary Ann Shadd Cary . . . is an insightful and moving portrait of a determined and resourceful Black woman who put all she had into ending slavery and securing full human rights for her people." ―Darlene Clark Hine "This is an excellent book. Not only does it illuminate the details of the life of a little-known journalist of considerable accomplishment, but it also contributes to the body of knowledge relevant to numerous other subject areas." ―Rodger Streitmatter Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a courageous and outspoken 19th-century African American who used the press and public speaking to fight slavery and oppression in the United States and Canada. Her life provides a window on the free black experience, emergent black nationalisms, African Americans' gender ideologies, and the formation of a black public sphere.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

About the author

Jane Rhodes is professor and department head of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the author of Mary Ann Shadd Cary: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century.

Reviews

[April Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look at the life of Mary Ann Shadd Carey and her role in African-American and African-Canadian history, and the unusual steps she had to take to break barriers in the fields of journalism and law.

[Aligata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting history. This author's writing style took me a minute to get used to (too much information is packed into each sentence in my opinion) but when I did I liked her style, and her objectivity, and the story.