Vincent Carretta, professor of literature at the University of Maryland and author of Unchained Voices.

18th Century English Literature was enriched by the contributions of Afro-British authors whose allegiance to the United Kingdom owed to the relative social tolerance of that society. Many of these authors had been held in bondage – some in the American Colonies – and one of their principle themes was the evil of slavery. They were prominent contributors to the Abolition Movement. However, their literary interests were quite broad and they left notable contributions in poetry, commentary essays and criticism. Vincent Carretta describes their work.