User:Hwilli50/sandbox

Emma Langdon Roche

1878-?

Born in 1878 in Mobile, AL, Emma Langdon Roche chose to become a writer and artist despite familial expectations. Visits to nearby Africatown prompted Roche to interview the residents, many of whom were emancipated slaves. Here, Roche met Cudjoe (Kazoola) Lewis, one of the founders of Africatown and a previously enslaved African man who was onboard the Clotilde (or Clotilda), the last illegal slaver to land in the US. Roche wrote and published two volumes of Historic Sketches of The South, which feature Cudjoe’s experiences, as well as Roche’s own analysis of slavery and its political evolution in the US.

Publications

Historic Sketches of The South includes Roche’s original illustrations and photographs of the residents of Africatown. As well as analysis of slavery in the US, Roche incorporates her interviews with Cudjoe (Kazoola) Lewis, which provide his account of life in Africa in the tribe Tarkar and the attack from the Dahomey tribe and subsequent abduction of Africans to be sold into slavery, followed by the Clotilde’s voyage and destruction. The Table of Contents of Historic Sketches of the South includes the following chapter titles:

“Beginnings of American slavery.--Early legislation against the slave traffic.--Illegal traffic in slaves.--Preparations for "Clotilde's" voyage.--The capture of the Tarkars.--Voyage of the "Clotilde".--The return.--The Tarkars at Dabney's plantation.--Tarkar life in America.--Impressions of Alabama in 1846 (reprinted from 'South Atlantic quarterly', July, 1908).”

Legacy

Sparking interest in the Clotilde, Roche’s work laid the groundwork for later authors, including Zora Neale Hurston. In her initial article, “Cudjo’s Own Story of the Last African Slaver,”Hurston plagiarizes Roche’s Historic Sketches of The South. Hurston later visited and grew close with Cudjoe Lewis and based Barracoon on their conversations.

References

Hurston, Zora Neale. Barracoon. Amistad, 2018. Print.

Hurston, Zora Neale. “Cudjo’s Own Story of the Last African Slaver.” The Journal of Negro History. Volume 12, Issue 4. Pages. 648-663. Retrieved from University of Chicago Journals, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/2714041

Thorton, M. Emma Langdon Roche's Artistic Legacy. Retrieved from https://www.alabamaheritage.com/issue-126-fall-2017.html.

Roche, Emma Langdon. Historic Sketches of the South. New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1914. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

Roche, Emma Langdon. Historic Sketches of the South. New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1914. Retrieved from Archive.org, https://archive.org/details/historicsketche00rochgoog/page/n10

[https://muse.jhu.edu/article/51926/pdf Sexton, Genevieve. "The Last Witness: Testimony and Desire in Zora Neale Hurston's "Barracoon"." Discourse, vol. 25 no. 1, 2003, pp. 189-210. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/dis.2004.0012]

Article Review
''1. Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?''

Everything is relevant. There could be more about Roche to balance out the amount written about Hurston, though. Also, I think you should refer to Cudjoe by the same name every time, for the sake of consistency.

''2. Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?''

The first sentence could be changed to represent a more neutral, objective viewpoint.

3. Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?

Again, more about Roche herself!

4. ''Check the citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?''

The links do work- however, the citations aren't done correctly. They're incorporated as links, not citations. In addition, the first citation (the Alabama Heritage site) does not support the claims it is linked to, as it does not mention Roche's birth date.

''5. Is each fact supported by an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?''

There are some facts that are not supported by sources. The sources listed are mainly primary sources- there could be more secondary sources examining Roche's life and works. The ones that aren't primary don't have a noticable bias.

6. ''Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that should be added?''

More biographical information would be good. Also, has she written anything else, or just the Historic Sketches?