author
Hannah Townsend
1812–1851
A Quaker abolitionist and co-author of one of the nineteenth century’s best-known children’s anti-slavery texts, Hannah Townsend helped turn the alphabet into a powerful lesson in justice and human equality.
1 Audiobook
The Anti-Slavery Alphabet
by Hannah Townsend, Mary Townsend
About the author
Hannah Townsend (1812–1851) was a Quaker writer and member of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. She is best known for co-writing The Anti-Slavery Alphabet with her younger sister, Mary Townsend.
First published for Philadelphia’s Anti-Slavery Fair in 1846, the book used simple rhymes and alphabet letters to introduce children to the realities of slavery and the principles of abolitionism. Though little is known about Townsend’s wider life, her work remains an important example of children’s literature used for social reform.