Black Londoners of the Georgian Era

Class Description

While Black figures often appear in the margins or backgrounds of Georgian paintings and prints, this course will foreground the experiences of people of African background living in London during the last half of the 18th century by exploring the lives of several well-documented individuals. Specifically, we will consider Ignatius Sancho, who rose from birth on a slave ship to become a shopkeeper in Mayfair and correspondent with prominent literary figures; Francis Barber, who was born into slavery in Jamaica, but would go on to be the valet, assistant, and heir of the writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson; Olaudah Equiano, who spent his time as a slave largely on ships and managed to achieve his freedom, eventually publishing a memoir of his experiences; and Dido Elizabeth Belle, who was the daughter of a British naval officer and an enslaved woman in the West Indies, and was raised as a gentlewoman in the household of the Earl of Mansfield.

Frank Biletz received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago, with a primary specialization in modern British and Irish history, and secondary fields in modern German and Spanish history. He is currently Adjunct Instructor in History at Loyola University Chicago and has been teaching seminars at the Newberry since 1994.

What to Expect

Format: In Person

Class Capacity: 28

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

• Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings. Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN: 9780142437162
  • You can view an original 1789 copy of the book at the Newberry!

Recommended

• Ignatius Sancho, Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African. Penguin Classics, 1998. ISBN: 9780140436372
  • Available online through Project Gutenberg
  • You can view an original 1782 copy of the book at the Newberry!

A Brief Syllabus

1. Black Britons
2. Ignatius Sancho (c 1729- 1780)
3. Francis Barber (c. 1742-1801)
4. Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797)
5. Dido Belle (1761-1804)

Cost and Registration

5 Sessions, $255 ($229.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($255), Community Supported ($235), and Sponsor ($275). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.

The views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.

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Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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