Elizabeth Hart Thwaites (1772–1833) was an Antiguan writer of biographies and Methodist histories, religious leader, and abolitionist who worked closely with her sister, Anne Hart Gilbert. The two women, working within the Methodist church became two of the first female African Caribbean writers and the first educators of slaves and free blacks in the Caribbean. The sisters were outspoken opponents of slavery and supporters of women's education and total emancipation, and chose in 1786 to break societal norm by becoming baptized Methodists, renouncing their life of comfort, and marrying Methodist missionaries.[1]
Elizabeth Hart Thwaites | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1772 |
| Died | 1833 (aged 60–61) |
| Nationality | Antigua |
| Occupation | Writer |
Biography
editElizabeth Hart was born in 1772 to Barry Conyers Hart, a wealthy black Antiguan planter and slaveholder, a year before Anne Hart's birth.[a] Elizabeth and Anne were thus born into a small but rich and powerful circle of Anglican aristocrats.[7] Conyers Hart, himself a freed slave, was humane to his slaves, whom he did not like to punish, and helped them whenever he could with things such as manumission papers without fee. Because of his heightened social stance, Conyers Hart was able to secure a decent education for his daughters.[1]
Notes
editFootnotes
edit- ^ There is some dispute over the birth dates of the Sisters Hart. Ferguson's 1998 book claims that Anne was born in 1768 and Elizabeth in 1771,[2] and M'Baye agrees.[3] Contrarily, Ferguson's earlier book in 1993, Mendez, Cueto & Rodríguez, Moore, Brooks & Wigginton, and O'Callaghan claim the dates of birth as being Elizabeth 1772, Anne 1773.[4][5][6] This article will use the latter dates.
Citations
edit- ^ a b Friesen, Lexi (11 March 2015). "Women's History Month: Anne and Elizabeth Hart". cbeinternational.org. CBE International. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Ferguson 1998, p. 1.
- ^ M'Baye 2010, p. 144.
- ^ Mendez, Cueto & Rodríguez 2003, p. 198.
- ^ Moore, Brooks & Wigginton 2012, p. 299.
- ^ O'Callaghan 2004, p. 181.
- ^ Ferguson 1993, p. 9.
References
edit- Ferguson, Moria (1993). The Hart Sisters: Early African Caribbean Writers, Evangelicals, and Radicals (illustrated ed.). University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803219847.
elizabeth hart thwaites.
- Ferguson, Moira (1998). Nine Black Women: An Anthology of Nineteenth-century Writers from the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415919050.
- Mendez Mendez, Serafín; Cueto, Gali; Rodríguez Deynes, Neysa (2003). Notable Caribbeans and Caribbean Americans: A Biographical Dictionary (illustrated ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313314438.
- Moore, Lisa L.; Brooks, Joanna; Wigginton, Caroline (3 January 2012). Transatlantic Feminisms in the Age of Revolutions. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199876778.
- M'Baye, Babacar (11 February 2010). The Trickster Comes West: Pan-African Influence in Early Black Diasporan Narratives. University of Mississippi Press. ISBN 9781604733525.
- O'Callaghan, Evelyn (2 June 2004). Women Writing the West Indies, 1804–1939: 'A Hot Place, Belonging To Us'. Routledge. ISBN 9781134440962.