The academic landscape has for decades neglected and dismissed any form of African literature but today scholars are seeking and rediscovering the earlier literary historian. It is consists of the black press and colored convection movement. One of the challenges that face this discovery is the means for these discoveries to accesses and to allow individuals to be well-informed and benefit from both teaching and learning. One of the early literary historians is a narrative from Freedom journal known as Theresa, the haytien tale. The story is set to assist the student by setting them in a direction of understanding the historical aspects regarding war, revolution and politics and also to study impressive qualities of different writing genres.
It was a story published in the Freedom Journal 1828. The story was a reflection of a time when the sons of Africa were against the barbarity of the French. The story speaks of a young Haitian woman called Theresa. She had a sister and a mother. During this time, they sought refuge by fleeing their native land when the French threatened it by destruction and cruelty. Theresa overheard a plan that involves the Haitian general Toussaint L’Ouverture set by the French.
She sought to leave her family and find the general to warn him. The intelligence gathered could be used by her people to destroy the success of the French Power. During this great journey, she suffered greatly in regards of her life and sex as she trekked from the Haitian countryside to the Haitian military based. She finally succeeded in the end, and her family was reunited. Through her bold actions, Theresa today is celebrated as a loyal patriot and a racial exemplar.
The story represents one of the first attempts to confront the Haitian revolution and also the first attempt of an African American writer to portray a black woman as a heroine. The Nineteenth Century African American women did not go the great extent as Theresa, yet they did not shield themselves from the public. Frequently the women were called upon to contribute in a particular way to the community.
Bibliography
Frances Smith Foster, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Theresa?” African American Review, Vol. 40, no.4 (Winter, 2006), 632.
Theresa. "The Journey of Early Amrican Life." A Haytien Tale, 1828. http://jtoaa.common-place.org/theresa-a-haytien-tale/.
