Joshua McCarter Simpson

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Joshua McCarter Simpson (ca. 1820 - April 20, 1877) was a store proprietor, herbalist, poet and lyricist in the United States. He lamented the enslavement of African Americans, called out the hypocrisy of white Christian abusers, and denounced the brutal treatment and discrimination African Americans received. His songs were published in 1854 as The Emancipation Car: Being an Original Composition of Anti-Slavery Ballads, Composed Exclusively for the Underground Railroad. [1] His work was well known and widely circulated during his lifetime. [2] Alternative first (John) and last names (McCarty) have been noted. [3]

Contents

He was fostered before being leased out as an orphan. He was indentured until age 21. He attended an Abolitionist school in Big Bottom, Ohio and Oberlin Collegiate Institute in Oberlin, Ohio. [3] He wrote anti-slavery verses and set them to popular tunes. [4]

He had a store and medical practice in Zanesville, Ohio. [3] Vicki L. Eakler wrote a master's thesis on him in 1982 at Washington University in St. Louis. [3]

The Zanesville Courier reported his death April 20, 1877 and ran an obituary for him the following day. [3]

Songs

See also

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References

  1. "Lyrics for "The Fifteenth Amendment" by African American songwriter Joshua McCarter Simpson". Digital Public Library of America. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  2. Scheyer, Lauri (23 September 2021). Theatres of War: Contemporary Perspectives. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 46. ISBN   978-1-350-13294-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Martin, Chuck (12 February 2005). "A look at the life of Joshua McCarter Simpson". Times Recorder . p. 3. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  4. Frost, Karolyn Smardz (15 February 2016). A Fluid Frontier: Slavery, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad in the Detroit River Borderland. Wayne State University Press. p. 173. ISBN   978-0-8143-3960-2.
  5. "Let_The_Banner_Proudly_Wave,"_1861-1865.jpg
  6. "The_Fifteenth_Amendment,"_ca._1870.jpg
  7. McCarter, Simpson, Joshua (March 3, 1863). "English: Anti-slavery song sung to the tune of "Annie of the Vale."Title: Printed song lyrics: "The Grand Jubilee Song," approximately 1863" via Wikimedia Commons.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Karlsberg, Jesse P. (30 June 2020). "Joshua McCarter Simpson's "To the White People of America" (1854)". Southern Spaces. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  9. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Printed_song_lyrics-_"A_Brother's_Farewell"_and_"No,_Master,_Never,"_1861-1865.jpg