Contending Forces (1900) is a novel by African American author Pauline
Elizabeth Hopkins. Originally published by the Colored Co-operative
Publishing Company in Boston, Contending Forces is a groundbreaking
novel that addresses themes of race and slavery through the lens of
romance, faith, and betrayal. It was Hopkins' first major publication as
a leading African American author of the early twentieth century.
Charles Montfort is a peculiar planter. Moving with his wife, Grace, and
his sons from Bermuda to North Carolina, he announces his desire to
slowly free his slaves. This angers the townspeople, who refuse to
recognize the abilities of black people beyond base servitude. Anson
Pollack, a jealous man, leverages his friendship with Montfort in order
to gain his confidence while hatching a plan to kill him and steal his
property. When a rumor regarding Grace's racial heritage begins to
spread, Montfort fears that an attempt will be made on his life. Soon
enough, Anson and a posse of local men descend on the Montfort
plantation, killing Charles and kidnapping his sons. While Jesse manages
to escape to Boston, Charles Jr. is sold into slavery, changing their
lives irrevocably. Contending Forces is a thrilling work of fiction
from a true pioneer of American literature, a woman whose talent and
principles afforded her the vision necessary for illuminating the
injustices of life in a nation founded on slavery and genocide.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins' Contending Forces is a
classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern
readers.
