Joseph Cephas Holly

by George Dance Joseph Cephas Holly (1825-1855) was an African- American poet, abolitionist, and anti-slavery lecturer.

Life
Holly worked in Brooklyn, New York, and Burlington, Vermont, finally settling in Rochester, New York, in 1852. He bacame active in the abolitionist movement in the early 1840s. He and his younger brother, James Theodore Holly, were active in the abolitionist movement during the 1840s and early 1850s, lecturing widely on anti-slavery topics. However, the brothers later disagreed over the issue of emigration, which Joseph opposed.

Joseph Holly was married and had a son. He died in poverty in Rochester of consumption in 1855.

Writing
The anthology ''African American Poetry of the Nineteenth Century says that "Holly's verse passionately champions his race, demanding freedom, vengeance, and justice from man and God. These militant poems, like his songs for temperance, tributes to race heroes, and pleas for poetic power suffer from hackneyed diction, irregular metrics, and choppy thought, but their sincerity and anger are palpable."

Poetry

 * Freedom's Offering. 1853.

Anthologized

 * African American Poetry of the Nineteenth Century (edited by Joan R. Sherman). University of Illinois Press, 1992.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the University of Illinois.