Portrait of Helen Hunt Jackson
Photo: Charles F. Conly / Adam Cuerden · Wikimedia Commons

Author

Helen Hunt Jackson

American novelist, poet, writer, activist (1830–1885)

Born
October 15, 1830, Amherst
Died
August 12, 1885, San Francisco
Nationality
United States
Occupation
Journalist, novelist, writer and poet
Notable works
A Century of Dishonor

Life and work

Helen Hunt Jackson (pen name: H.H.; born Helen Maria Fiske; October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885) was an American poet and writer who became an activist for improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. She described the adverse effects of government actions in her history A Century of Dishonor (1881). Her popular novel Ramona (1884) dramatized the federal government's mistreatment of Native Americans in Southern California after the Mexican–American War and attracted considerable attention to her cause. Commercially successful, it was estimated to have been reprinted 300 times, with readers liking its romantic and picturesque qualities more than its political content. The novel was so popular that it attracted many tourists to Southern California who wanted to see places from the book.

Text: “Helen Hunt Jackson”, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under the license CC BY-SA 4.0. Dates and facts: Wikidata.

Collection

Books by Helen Hunt Jackson

11 books