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Thomas Branagan (born 1774; died 1843) was an American writer and abolitionist. He is known for his works of literature, particularly Avenia, and for his opposition to slavery. [1] He was described by English professor Christopher N. Philipps as a "kind of American counterpart to John Newton." [1] In 1953, he was described by Lewis Leary in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography as "one of America's most prolific authors during the first two decades of the nineteenth century." [2]

Life and work

Illustration from The Penitential Tyrant
Illustraion from A preliminary essay on the oppression of the exiled sons of Africa

Branagan was born in 1774 in Dublin. [3] During his adolescence, he ran away from home to pursue a career as a sailor. [1] Working on slave ships, he progressed through the ranks [1] and eventually became the overseer of a sugar slave plantation located in Antigua. [3] After converting to Methodism, [1] he became morally opposed to slavery [3] and decided to leave his position to become a preacher. [1] In about 1798, he immigrated to Philadelphia. [3]

Branagan wrote extensively on the topic of the evil of slavery, producing six works on the subject from 1804 to 1810. [1] Four of these works were volumes of poetry. [1] Avenia, which he published in 1805, was the "first poem of any considerable length" published in America on the subject of the enslavement of African Americans. [2] In or around 1807, he argued that a black settlement should be created in the Louisiana Purchase territories, which would promote emancipation of slaves while "saving white society" from dangers he believed would occur in a biracial society. [4] In total, Branagan published 25 works between 1804 and 1839. [3] Later in his life, he worked as a watchman. [3] He sent several of his works to American president Thomas Jefferson. [3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Christopher N. Phillips; Phillips, Christopher N. (2009). "Epic, Anti-Eloquence, and Abolitionism: Thomas Branagan's Avenia and The Penitential Tyrant". Early American Literature. 44 (3): 605–637. doi: 10.1353/eal.0.0075. ISSN  1534-147X. S2CID  161760589.
  2. ^ a b Leary, Lewis (1953-01-01). "Thomas Branagan: Republican Rhetoric and Romanticism in America". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 77 (3): 332–352. JSTOR  20088486.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Founders Online: Thomas Branagan to Thomas Jefferson, 28 April 1815". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  4. ^ Tomek, Beverly (2005-06-01). "'From motives of generosity, as well as self-preservation': Thomas Branagan, Colonization, and the Gradual Emancipation Movement". American Nineteenth Century History. 6 (2): 121–147. doi: 10.1080/14664650500314505. ISSN  1466-4658. S2CID  145180785.