Sophia Louise Little (; 1799–1893) was an American poet and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

Life

Sophia Louise Robbins was born in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, on August 22, 1799. She was the second daughter of Asher Robbins, a United States Senator from Rhode Island. She was educated in her native town, and in 1834 married William Little, Jr., of Boston, who assisted her by his criticism in the development of her poetic talent. Her first poem of any length, a description of a New England

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, was printed in 1838 in ''

The Token ''The Token and Atlantic Souvenir'' (1826–1842) was the first American gift book, featuring romantic and sentimental short stories, poems, and essays, as well as copies of original paintings. Published annually, it was founded separately ...

''. Sophia Little took an active interest in the

anti-slavery movement Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

, and was a life-long friend of

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was an Abolitionism in the United States, American abolitionist, journalist, and reformism (historical), social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper ''The ...

, being present at the Boston meeting, at which he was mobbed. She was also president of the Prisoner's Aid Association of Rhode Island from its formation. With the aid of friends, she opened a free reading room for working people in Newport, which proved to be the germ of a free public library. She also established a Holly-tree coffee-house, and was still active in many charitable enterprises in 1887.Wilson; Fiske, eds. 1888, p. 738. Little died in 1893. Her son, Robbins Little, became a lawyer and librarian.

Works

Little, besides contributing frequently to various periodicals, published the following poems: * "The Last Days of Jesus " (Boston, 1839); * "The Annunciation and Birth of Jesus, and the Resurrection" (1843); * "Pentecost" (1873). In 1877 a complete edition of her religious poems was published at Newport, bearing the title, ''Last Days of Jesus, and Other Poems''.Wilson; Fiske, eds. 1888, pp. 738–739.

Notes

References

Sources

* Ockerbloom, John Mark, ed
"Little, Sophia L. (Sophia Louisa), 1799-"
''

The Online Books Page The Online Books Page is an index of e-text books available on the Internet. It is edited by John Mark Ockerbloom and is hosted by the library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Online Books Page lists over 2 million books and has several fe ...

''. Retrieved September 7, 2022. * Van Broekhoven, Deborah Bingham (2000)
"Little, Sophia Louisa Robbins (1799-1893), writer and reformer"
''

American National Biography The ''American National Biography'' (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Lea ...

''. Oxford University Press. Retrieved August 20, 2022. Attribution: * {{Authority control 1799 births 1893 deaths 19th-century American women writers American women poets 19th-century American poets Writers from Newport, Rhode Island Poets from Rhode Island Abolitionists from Rhode Island