William Cowper, Anthology Inclusion

William Cooper was a poet, hymn writer and abolitionist of 18th century Olney, Britain. His works of poetry are considered some of the forerunners of the Romantic genre, and he also wrote many poems on abolition thanks to the influence of his neighbor and former abolitionist John Newton (UK: BL). He was admired by many of his contemporaries, including abolitionist and mathematician Benjamin Banneker. In his 1793 almanac, Banneker includes a Cowper poem, "On Liberty." This poem alone merits inclusion for its significance and proliferation from being in the hands of farmers up and down the North American east coast.

His poetry is not often, if ever, found in the anthologies of the eighteenth century despite his admiration by those such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. His poem

"Great campaigners", Abolition background, UK: BL.