Throughout the Civil Rights Movement, many historical figures had a significant impact on the movement. James Boswell made his impact through expressing his opinion of slavery in his poetry and establishing a foundation for future biographies.
Biography
James Boswell, a poet, a writer, and a lawyer. Boswell was born October 29th, 1740 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was Lord of Auchinleck, making Boswell 9th Laird of Auchinleck. Boswell developed strong beliefs towards the right of slavery. He is most famously known however for his biography on fellow historic figure, Samuel Johnson. Boswell's radical beliefs were highly shown in his poem "No Abolition of Slavery; Or the Universal Empire of Love", where he criticizes, and demoralizes anti-slavery historical figures such as Wilberforce, William Pitt, and Edmond Burke.
"Prologue" By James Boswell
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The full version of "No Abolition of Slavery; Or the Universal Empire of Love" By James Boswell can be found in the link above.
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What significant impact did James Boswell make in the Civil Rights Movement?James Boswell played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. After entering William Wilberforce's abolition bill, he began slandering many anti-slavery figures including Wilberforce. In statements such as "I hate your little whittling sneer, Your pert and self-sufficient leer..." (238). Boswell played a significant role throughout the trial of Wilberforce's bill. Life of Johnson, also had a major impact on the writing world at the time. Boswell's biography, had set the foundation for many biographies to come. In a recollection of the initial interview, Boswell was recalled to be so adorned to Samuel Johnson that "he wanted to know the man-body, mind, and soul" (Moore, Charles).
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Works CitedBoswell, James. "James Boswell (1740-1795)." Amazing Grace: An Anthology of Poems About Slavery 1660-1810. Ed. James G. Basker.
Moore, Charles. "A Meeting of Minds for James Boswell and Samuel Johnson." The Telegraph. 16 May 2011. Print. 19 April 2014. Web. "The Project Gutenberg eBook Of No Abolition of Slavery; Or the Universal Empire of Love: A Poem by James Boswell." Gutenberg.org. James Boswell. Web. 15 January 2007. Photos:http://www.nndb.com/people/256/000085001/boswell-sm.jpg
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