Robert S. Duncanson was born in Seneca County, New York around 1821. His mother was African-American and his father was Scottish Canadian. For the early part of his childhood, Duncanson lived in Canada with his father. However, he moved back to the United States in 1841 to live with his mother in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, just outside Cincinnati.

Duncanson loved art and learned to paint on his own. His favorite artist was Thomas Cole, a landscape artist of the Hudson River School. By 1842, he began to exhibit some of his portraits and received several commissions. That same year, he was sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge to show an exhibit, but his family was barred from attending because they were African-Americans.

Duncanson's improved his skills over the next decade and he became known for his landscape art. In 1851, Nicholas Longworth, a winemaker in the area, commissioned eight murals from Duncanson to decorate the foyer of his villa. Today, Longworth's home is the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati.

In 1853, Duncanson was asked to illustrate Harriet Beecher Stowe's book "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Because of his illustrations, he was financed by the Freeman's Aid Society and the Anti-Slave League to tour Europe. While in Europe, Duncanson became influenced by the great 17th century French artist Claude Lorrain. When he returned to the United States, he began working in the photography studio of the great African-American photographer James Presley Ball. Duncanson worked on colorizing Ball's photographs. Both men created a 600-yard long mural called the "Mammoth Pictorial Tour of the United States Comprising Views of the African Slave Trade." The mural toured the country and was a huge success.

When the Civil War broke out, Duncanson left the United States to live first in Montreal, Canada and then London, England. He continued to paint and tour throughout Canada and Europe. In the winter of 1866, he returned to Cincinnati to continue his work. He created some of his greatest paintings during this time. Most of his paintings were pastoral in nature. He continued to paint up until his death in 1872.

Duncanson was a pioneer in American art and is one of the greatest artists in the nation's history. His paintings of the landscapes of America and Europe are still displayed in museums throughout the world. The Smithsonian Institute has 22 of Duncanson's paintings in their collection. Duncanson was a great American.

Francis Ellen Watkins was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1825 to free blacks. When she was three, she was orphaned and had to live with an aunt and uncle. She attended school at the Academy for Negro Youth, which was run by her uncle, Rev. William Watkins. While she was in school, she was exposed to a wide range of literature which greatly influenced her life. Her uncle was also a civil rights activist heavily influenced young Francis.

Francis began working as a seamstress at the age of 13, but she began writing poetry. By the age of 20, she wrote her first book of poetry, “Forest Leaves.” In 1850, she moved to Ohio to teach at Union Seminary. Soon after, she joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and started lecturing across the country. While on her lecture tour, she published her second book of poetry, “Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects.” This second publication was hugely successful.

At the age of 35, she married the widower Fenton Harper and had one child with him. She continued her tour of lectures against slavery and expanded her causes into prohibition and women’s suffrage. After the Civil War, she gave a stirring speech at the National Women’s Rights Convention in New York City. She read one of her most famous poems, “Bury Me in a Free Land.”

She continued to write poetry as well as authoring several books. She was a national organizer for the temperance movement as well as the women’s suffrage movement. When becoming dissatisfied with the priority of white women over black women, she helped to form the National Association of Colored Women in 1894. She served as the organization’s vice president three years later.

Francis Harper was a major advocate for the cause of freedom and equality in America. Her poetry helped to describe the feelings of the people involved. Her contributions in the late 19th century helped to make her a great American.