Black Americans in Victorian Britain

The first study of its kind, exploring the experiences of some of the black American citizens who ventured forth to Britain in the nineteenth century.

With the arrival of black Americans in Britain during the Victorian era, residents of villages, towns, and cities from Dorchester to Cambridge, Belfast to Hull, and Dumfries to Brighton heard about slavery and repression in the US, and learned of the diverse ambitions and achievements of black Americans both at home and overseas. Across the country, numerous publications were sold to the curious, and lectures were crowded. Ultimately, many of these refugees settled in Britain; some worked as domestic servants, others qualified as doctors, wrote books, taught, or labored in factories and on ships while their youngsters went to school.

We might not think of black immigrants when we consider the population of Victorian Britain, but this is a shameful oversight. Their presence was important and their stories, recorded here, are both fascinating and powerful. Black Americans in Victorian Britain documents the experience of refugees, settlers, and their families as well as pioneering entertainers in both minstrel shows and stage adaptations of the 1850s bestselling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This is a timely and engaging new perspective on both Victorian and Afro-American history.