Shining Stars: African American Women Authors of the Civil War Era

“Shining Stars…is a welcome and important addition to a growing constellation of projects focusing on Black women authors, Black women’s intellectual history, and Black women’s writing during the Civil War Era. Broadnax’s opening gambit, “it is unusual to anticipate the existence of publications written by African Americans” from the Civil War era, echoes a tradition of bibliographers challenging scholarly presumptions about absences….Broadnax has provided a wonderful service to the fields of African American literary studies, Civil War studies, print culture, and digital humanities.”   Derrick R. Spires, University of Delaware

This project capitalizes on the discovery of lesser-known works by African American women of the US Civil War era (1861-1865). The documents, all available in digital format, consist of an array of various types of fiction and nonfiction. Their writings provide a unique perspective on the trials and triumphs of the enslaved. Their texts also reflect their post-slavery politics, spirituality, and activism. This remarkable collection of documents enables users to acquire new information regarding African Americans that has traditionally been omitted. The project also provides extensive primary sources pertaining to the authors. All the online resources are full text and free.