The Curse of Caste, or, The Slave Bride (1865)
Julia C. Collins 1842-1865, edited by William L. Andrews and Mitch Kachun.
The Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Part of the Charvat Collection of American Literature
PS1359.C5457 C65 2006
Julia Collins, the first published African-American author, wrote this book as she was suffering from tuberculosis. The piece of historical fiction was unfinished upon her death, leaving editors to create their own endings for the story before publishing. The story follows the life of Lina, a young woman who is enslaved because she is a quarter black. Her master's son, Richard, falls in love with her, inevitably purchasing her to emancipate her, and takes her hand in marriage. Because of Lina's race and status as a slave, Richard is treated as an outcast. His father claims their marriage is illegal, refusing to acknowledge Lina as his daughter-in-law. In rage, he ends up shooting his son, claiming his wife and child both died. Despite the strength of their love, we see interracial and slave marriage as a formidable, harmful thing, so much so that their history becomes erased.