Charles Crawford
Charles Crawford was an Antiguan-born writer and poet, born in 1752, who initially studied at Queens College in Cambridge before his expulsion in 1773. He quickly began his writing career, publishing works that challenged Platonic philosophy, but later retracted some of his earlier positions in his 1781 poem, The Christian: A Poem in Four Books. After immigrating to Philadelphia, he reissued this poem along with additional works that explored themes of religion and the notion of religious freedom in the United States. A significant aspect of Crawford's work was his advocacy against slavery; in his 1784 piece, Observations upon Negro Slavery, he argued against the perception of inherent racial inferiority, particularly acknowledging the talents of black writers like Phillis Wheatley. He also supported Jewish tolerance and collaborated with the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. In his later years, Crawford critiqued Deism and figures such as Thomas Jefferson for their political views. He returned to England toward the end of his life, where he continued to publish collections of his earlier poetry until his death around 1815.
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Charles Crawford
Writer
- Born: October 1, 1752
- Birthplace: Antigua
- Died: c. 1815
Biography
Charles Crawford was born in Antigua in 1752. He attended Queens College at Cambridge for a short time before he was expelled in 1773. Crawford wasted no time in beginning his writing career, publishing A Dissertation on the Phaedon of Plato, a haphazard denial of the Platonic idea of the immortal soul. Crawford continued writing poetry for a few years and in 1781 actually contradicted his original work in The Christian: A Poem in Four Books.
Shortly thereafter, Crawford immigrated to Philadelphia and republished The Christian: A Poem in Four Books with a selection of poems about religion, particularly the religious freedom within the United States. Liberty remained a central theme for Crawford. He published Observations upon Negro Slavery in 1784, arguing that blacks, particularly intellectual poets like Phillis Wheatley, were not necessarily born inferior to whites. He worked closely with the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and also lobbied in later works for the greater tolerance of Jews. His final works, produced at the end of the eighteenth century, attacked Deism and prominent Deist figures, like Thomas Jefferson, for sedition and favoring monarchical rule in America. Crawford eventually moved back to England and resided there until his death around 1815, occasionally reprinting some of his earlier poems into larger collections.