George Moses Horton

George Moses Horton

1798 – 1884

George Moses Horton (1798–1884) was an African-American poet from North Carolina, the first to be published in the Southern United States. His book The Hope of Liberty was published in 1829 while he was still enslaved. He is one of a few African American writers to have their poetry published while still enslaved. He did not gain freedom until 1865, late during the Civil War.