Not a Man, and Yet a Man

Not a Man, and Yet a Man (1877) is a collection of poems by A.A. Whitman. A former slave, Whitman worked as a laborer before finding employment as a financial agent and fundraiser for Wilberforce University, the first historically black college owned and operated by African Americans. In these poems, Whitman depicts the story of the nation on an epic scale, weaving history and personal experience into a compelling narrative of hope, promise, and betrayal. Intended to promote the mission of Wilberforce, Not a Man, and Yet a Man has been praised for its scope and Romantic style since its publication. “My pen appeals to right and common sense. / The black man has a cause, deny who dares, / And him to vindicate my muse prepares.” Freed from slavery during the Civil War, A.A. Whitman worked and obtained an education in the early days of Reconstruction, a period of immense progress that nevertheless proved the dire need to change the hearts and minds of white Americans. Although they had bee