HARPER AT 200

LECTURING CIRCUIT

The map below traces Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s travels geographically and temporally to underscore her prolificness and devotion to the anti-slavery movement. Highlighting Harper’s travels and lectures across the country is no simple endeavor, which speak volumes about Harper’s own life and labor. Harper’s letters reveal the challenges of traveling alone as a Black woman in the nineteenth century, and she recounts a few close calls that could have ended badly. Undeterred, Harper continued on, all the while thinking about her daughter Mary, whom she had entrusted to friends while she worked. To bring Harper’s extraordinary life to the forefront, this carefully researched map showcases her lectures, letters, and articles about her. 

How to use this map: Viewers can move time slider at the bottom of the map to explore Harper’s travels over time. Click on each dot to read reports about her lectures and addresses. The heat map layer shows Harper’s movements in particular regions. The map is an ongoing project as we source more historical documents about Harper. We invite readers to send us newspaper clippings and other archival records that could help enrich this map.

CREDITS

Map created by Samantha de Vera and Courtney Murray. Historical data gathered by Samantha de Vera, Courtney Murray, and Chasia Elzina Jeffries.