Lucy Terry
Who was Lucy Terry?
African American writer, poet (1730–1821)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Lucy Terry (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Lucy Terry Prince, often called Lucy Terry, was born around 1730 in Africa. As a child, she was kidnapped and brought to the British colony of Rhode Island as a slave. She was bought by Ebenezer Wells in Deerfield, Massachusetts, where she spent most of her early life in slavery. Even with the tough restrictions faced by enslaved people in colonial New England, Terry showed a remarkable talent for language, storytelling, and creating stories orally, which set her apart from others.
In 1756, a free Black man named Abijah Prince bought Terry's freedom and married her. They first lived in Deerfield and later moved to Guilford, Vermont, raising six children. Abijah Prince owned land in Vermont, and Lucy Terry Prince became a well-known and vocal figure in her communities. She was recognized as a powerful speaker and fiercely protected her family's rights.
Her most famous work is the poem 'Bars Fight,' written in 1746. It tells of a raid by Native Americans on two white families in a part of Deerfield called 'The Bars,' a meadow near town. The attack led to several deaths and abductions. Terry's poem vividly describes the events and names the victims. Though she didn't write it down herself, it stayed alive through oral storytelling for over a century before being published in 1854 by journalist J. G. Holland in The Springfield Daily Republican. It's now considered the oldest known piece of literature by an African American.
Apart from her poetry, Terry Prince was known for advocating for her family. When neighbors tried to take over her land in Vermont, she spoke for three hours defending her case before the Governor's Council. She also tried to get one of her sons into Williams College by petitioning the trustees, although unsuccessfully. These actions show a woman who, despite living at a time when both Black people and women were denied many rights, actively and persistently dealt with legal and institutional power.
Lucy Terry Prince died in Sunderland, Vermont, in 1821, at a very old age. Her life covered the colonial era, the American Revolution, and the early years of the new republic. She lived through major changes in American society while representing a history of hardship, resilience, and cultural expression. Her one surviving poem has made sure she remains an important figure in the beginnings of African American literary history.
Before Fame
Lucy Terry was born in Africa around 1730 and as a child, she was brought to Rhode Island through the transatlantic slave trade, one of the most devastating forced movements of people in history. She was owned by Ebenezer Wells of Deerfield, Massachusetts, a frontier town regularly dealing with conflict between colonial settlers and Native American communities. Growing up amid these challenges, Terry absorbed the stories and events around her, developing the storytelling skills that would shape her only surviving literary work.
Terry's path to becoming a poet was influenced by the oral traditions common in both West African cultures and colonial New England, where stories were often shared verbally before being written down. She created 'Bars Fight' in 1746, at about sixteen years old, after witnessing the effects of a violent raid on her community. Despite being enslaved and largely denied formal education, Terry used poetry as a way to document and share events that might otherwise go unnoticed from her perspective.
Key Achievements
- Composed 'Bars Fight' (c. 1746), recognized as the oldest known work of literature by an African American
- Successfully argued for her family's land rights before the Vermont Governor's Council, representing herself without legal counsel
- Preserved a historically specific account of the 1746 Deerfield raid through oral tradition that survived for over a century before publication
- Petitioned Williams College for her son's enrollment, representing an early documented challenge to racial exclusion in American higher education
- Gained freedom through her future husband's purchase and built an independent family life as a landowner in colonial Vermont
Did You Know?
- 01.'Bars Fight' was composed orally around 1746 but was not published until 1854, meaning it circulated entirely through spoken transmission for more than a century.
- 02.Lucy Terry Prince reportedly argued her own land rights case before the Vermont Governor's Council, delivering a speech said to have lasted approximately three hours.
- 03.She attempted to have a son admitted to Williams College in Massachusetts, making one of the earliest recorded efforts by an African American to gain admission to an American institution of higher education.
- 04.Her husband Abijah Prince was one of the founders of the town of Sunderland, Vermont, where Lucy Terry Prince eventually died.
- 05.The location referenced in her poem, 'The Bars,' refers to a meadow area outside Deerfield, Massachusetts, where the 1746 ambush by Abenaki raiders took place.