Ann Plato Quotes


To remove ignorance is an important branch of benevolence.


Citations

Ann Plato, 1820-?, Writer, Poet & Educator, First Black American Essayist, Plato’s Essays

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

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  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Author

Ann Plato (c. 1824 – unknown) was a 19th-century Black (African American and Native American) educator and author. She was the second woman of color to publish a book in America and the first to publish a book of essays and poems. As a young Black girl writing in the 19th century, Plato has been described as an heir to Phillis Wheatley, who wrote her first published poem at the age of 13 in 1766. There is not much biographical information on Plato, and most of her life is known from her only published work, Essays, which included the preface written by Reverend James W. C. Pennington, an abolitionist leader in Hartford, Connecticut, and a pastor.