Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Thomas Wentworth Higginson became a Unitarian minister, but he never fit neatly into one role for long. He threw himself into abolitionism, supported women's rights, and built a reputation as a public speaker and writer who was willing to challenge convention.

During the Civil War, he commanded the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, one of the first federally authorized Black regiments, later known as the 33rd U.S. Colored Troops. That experience shaped some of his best-known nonfiction, and his long writing career went on to include essays, histories, memoir, and literary criticism.

Many readers also know him through his connection with Emily Dickinson. After she sent him some of her poems in 1862, he began a correspondence with her that lasted for years, and he later helped bring her work to print after her death. That mix of activism, curiosity, and literary influence makes him a fascinating guide to 19th-century American life.