Helen Hunt Jackson by Colette Davis

Helen Hunt Jackson was born a radical child from the 1830’s and is recognized as one of the fourth most known Native American policy reformist of the 19^th century. Besides being a Native American rights activist, she held her own name as a famous poet, a writer of children’s stories and author in many of her works including research and novel named, Century of Dishonor (1881) and Ramona (1884) which was both a success. She was born in Massachusetts, orphaned as a child and raised by her aunt. By the age of 21, she married Lieutenant Edward Bissell Hunt and later had two sons. Tragically, her husband and two sons had passed on and that’s when she began writing poetry. Ten years later, she married a quaker, William Sharpless Jackson and lived in Colorado Springs.

As indicated by Valenzuela, “during her marriage was where her interest in the subject on the politics of Indians began” (2010). While being moved by a speech in Boston in 1879 presented by a Ponca leader given by Chief Standing Bear, according to an article by Reuben, “Jackson wrote the two novels partly in an effort to bring awareness to the plight of the Native American after hearing Chief Standing Bear of the Poncas tribe speak in Boston about the great sufferings of his people as they were forcibly removed from their native land to a reservation in Oklahoma” (Reuben 2014). When A Century of Dishonor was published in 1881, as stated by Colorado Virtual Library, “Jackson sent a copy to every member of Congress with the following admonition printed in red on the cover, “Look upon your hands: they are stained with the blood of your relations” (2015). As indicated by Prabook, “the 56-page report recommended extensive government relief for the Mission Indians, including the purchase of new lands for reservations and the establishment of more Indian Schools. A bill embodying her recommendations passed the U.S. Senate but died in the House of Representatives” (2015).

Little did the 56-page report had an impact to capture the congress attention, so four years later she wrote Ramona to capture a wider audience. For the most part, her novel was an instant success and a year later she died of stomach cancer in 1885 at the age of 55. A Century of Dishonor and Ramona led to the founding of the Indian Rights Association and was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 1985.

Works Cited

 “Helen Hunt Jackson: Author and Indian Advocate.” Colorado Virtual Library. http://coloradovirtual

              Library.org/content/helen-hunt-jackson. Web. 22 February 2015.

Prabook. Helen Hunt Jackson. Background, Education, Career, Works, Connections. 

             http://prabook.web/person-view.html. Web. 22 February 2015.

Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 5: Helen Hunt Jackson." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A               Research and Reference Guide. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap5/
              Web. 22 February 2015.

Valenzuela, Romualdo. “Helen Hunt Jackson.” The Historical Society of Southern California

              Biographies.http://www.socalhistory.org/biographies/helen-hunt-jackson.html. Web.

              22 February 2015.