Frances E. W. Harper

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (September 24, 1825 – February 22, 1911) is one of the true unsung heroes on the 19th century. Harper was an African American abolitionist, suffragist, poet, and author. A principal member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, Harper was a chief leader in petitioning the federal government into taking a greater role in progressive reform.

In 1859 her short story, “The Two Offers,” was the first short story published by an African American female writer in the United States.