The slave struggle in America E-Book

Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner

• Herausgeber: Edizioni Aurora Boreale
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner (31 March 1858 - 25 August 1935) was a British peace activist, teacher, author, atheist and freethinker, and the daughter of Charles Bradlaugh,a  political activist, the first openly atheist member of British Parliament and founder of the National Secular Society in 1866.
In her life she wrote important and fundamental books ( The gallows and the lash: an enquiry into the necessity for capital and corporal punishments, 1897; Penalties upon opinion: or, some records of the laws of heresy and blasphemy; 1912; The Christian Hell, 1913; Christianity and conduct, or the influence of religious beliefs on morals, 1919) but is most remembered today for being the author of her father’s biography, Charles Bradlaugh: His Life and Work.
The slave struggle in America, published around 1880, is the text version of four lectures held by Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner about the drama of slavery in the New Continent. The lectures refer to the history of slavery in America from the time of George III to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

Leseprobe

SYMBOLS & MYTHS

HYPATIA BRADLAUGH BONNER

THE SLAVE STRUGGLE IN AMERICA

Edizioni Aurora Boreale

Title: The slave struggle in America

Author: Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner

Publishing series: Symbols & Myths

With a preface by Nicola Bizzi

Editing by Nicola Bizzi

ISBN: 979-12-5504-157-3

Edizioni Aurora Boreale

© 2022 Edizioni Aurora Boreale

Via del Fiordaliso 14 - 59100 Prato - Italia

[email protected]

www.auroraboreale-edizioni.com

HYPATIA BRADLAUGH BONNER AND THE SENSE OF FREEDOM

By Nicola Bizzi

Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner (31 March 1858 - 25 August 1935) was a British peace activist, author, atheist and freethinker, and the daughter of Charles Bradlaugh,a political activist, the first openly atheist member of British Parliament and founder of the National Secular Society in 1866.

She was born Hypatia Bradlaugh, at 3 Hedger’s Terrace, Hackney, London, the second daughter of Charles Bradlaugh and Susannah Lamb Hooper. She was named after Hypatia, the ancient Greek philosopher, Eleusinian initiate, mathematician, astronomer and teacher, who was murdered in 415 by a mob of fanatical Christian monks under the authority of Archbishop Cyril of Alexandria.

Hypatia was educated in private schools in London and Paris, and qualified as a science teacher from the University of London, which admitted women to “full privileges” in 1878. She taught in the Hall of Science for the South Kensington Science and Art Examinations, and also acted as a secretary for her father after 1888.

The Halls of Science were mainly for adult education and self-help, like those offered by Mechanics' Institutes and religious organisations at the time. The South Kensington Hall of Science was started by Edward Aveling, and other teachers included her sister Alice Bradlaugh (1856-1888) and Annie Besant (1847-1933), the famous British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women’s rights and Home Rule activist. The results from the South Kensington Hall of Science were very good, with students exceeding the national average on their examinations in all but one of their offered classes.

She was also a lecturer for the National Secular Society and the Rationalist Press Association.

Hypatia married Arthur Bonner in 1885 in Marylebone, London. They had two children, Kenneth and Charles.

In her life she wrote important and fundamental books (The gallows and the lash: an enquiry into the necessity for capital and corporal punishments, 1897;Penalties upon opinion: or, some records of the laws of heresy and blasphemy; 1912; The Christian Hell, 1913; Christianity and conduct, or the influence of religious beliefs on morals, 1919) but is most remembered today for being the author of her father’s biography, Charles Bradlaugh: His Life and Work. The Spectator, the weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs, considered the two volumes to be more memoirs than a biography: «That it is preposterously long is manifest at once. More than eight hundred closely printed pages are too much for Charles Bradlaugh, viewed in regard to his real importance in the world», but accepted, «A day will come when they will be found useful».

From 1897 to 1904, she was editor of The Reformer, the main purpose of which according to Bernard Porter was to «vindicate her father’s career». However, she was an active contributor to many secularist periodicals including the National Reformer and author of many other books relating to secularism, blasphemy and freethinking. She often wrote in collaboration with her sister Alice under the signature “A. and H. Bradlaugh”, including a regular current affairs column in the National Reformer called “Summary of News” during the 1880s. In Penalties upon Opinion she catalogues various trials and cases of blasphemy including the recent revival in blasphemy prosecutions in the first decades of the 20th century. In addition, she published a volume of short stories for children (Princess Vera, and Other Stories, 1886) as part of the Freethought Publishing Company’s Young Folks’ Library series.

In the lead up to the First World War most peace societies were Christian associations. In 1910, Bonner became the chairperson of the first secular peace society, the Rationalist Peace Society. The aim of the society was to «protest against ideas and methods which are utterly opposed to reason and the interests of social progress». In her introduction to Essays towards peace, Hypatia noted that there was a «growing public opinion in favour of arbitration as the alternative to war» and that it was reason that demonstrated «the futility, the brutality, the economic waste, the immorality of war».

The Rationalist Peace Society remained active throughout the war, but fell into decline after peace was concluded.

Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner died at home on 25 August 1935 at 23 Streathbourne Road, Tooting, London, after an abdominal operation for cancer. She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 28 August, and her ashes were buried in her father’s grave at Brookwood Cemetery.

The slave struggle in America, published around 1880, is the text version of four lectures held byHypatia Bradlaugh Bonner about the drama of slavery in the New Continent. The lectures refer to the history of slavery in America from the time of George III to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

Nicola Bizzi

Florence, January 6, 2023.