Leonard, Mary H. - The Story of Portus and Songs of the Southland

Buffalo, Charles Wells Moulton, 1894. Cloth. Illustrated beige cloth. 107 pp. A work that begins with the long poem, "The Story of Portus," a work recalling the life of an enslaved man, Portus. While the work reflects on the cruelty of enslaving people, transporting them. and selling them, it adopts a tone that the enslavers themselves were benevolent, and that African-Americans would prefer to remain enslaved, as there was nothing for them if they were free. The African-American protagonist, Portus, lives through the Civil War, only to be murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. This work is accompanied by other shorter poetry, most reflecting on life and the people of the US South. The poetry is rather conflicted, with some celebrating Jefferson Davis, while others reflecting on the lives of African-Americans in the South, assuming the benefits of spirituality or Christianity in their lives. Overall, it would seem much of the poetry whitewashes and glorifies the South, while downplaying negative aspects of the region and the legacy of slavery. GOOD condition. Covers foxed and spotted, with some soiling, toning and minor staining. Text block toned. Owner's inscription on the first endpaper. Good .

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