Black Samson in the Temple of Liberty
In the nineteenth century, prominent writers and politicians invoked the Temple of Liberty in debates over slavery. The Temple of Liberty was a symbolic term for the United States. Both pro- and anti-slavery advocates had concerns regarding the stability of the nation’s democracy due to the enslavement of African peoples. The idea of Black Samson in the Temple of Liberty became a powerful image within anti-slavery efforts. For example, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1842 poem “The Warning” popularized the image of a blinded Black Samson figure destroying the temple. In this chapter, we analyze how nineteenth-century American writers used Samson to address not only slavery but also other issues related to race. In doing so, these writers created a lasting link between the biblical Samson and African Americans that helped to generate a uniquely American Black Samson figure.