In the 18th century, African Americans were mostly slaves. They were treated as white property and had very few rights. However, not all whites were in favor of slavery. Two white English writers who created a black character to write poetry in support of abolition were William Blake, in The Little Black Boy, and William Cowper, in The Negro's Complaint. In 1788, William Cowper wrote The Negro's Complaint in support of ending the slave trade. The poem criticizes slavery how truly horrible it was. The Little Black Boy by William Blake is taken from Songs of Innocence and was published in 1789. The poem is about a little black boy's struggle with his identity. At that time in England, slavery was still legal and would not be abolished until 1834. Considering the fact that both poets were white, they neither knew nor experienced what it was like to be a slave. That said, they didn't capture the emotion of what it meant to be a slave in the poem. However both actually provided the reader with a moral understanding of why slavery should be abolished. Belief in God is the moral understanding for both the black characters created by Blake and Cowper. The poem The Little Black Boy is a poem from Songs of Innocence by William Blake. Blake believed in the equality of all people. The poem is about a young black boy's struggle with his identity. Blake's black personality is seen in a negative way. It takes an explanation from his mother to make him understand that the reason his skin is black is because the sun is the love and warmth of God. The poem highlights the theme of one who realizes that although the people may not be connected by their culture or the color of their skin, their lies are something common to all, and in this poem it is the center of the paper. .....it's terrible from a religious point of view. Published in 1789, William Blake's The Little Black Boy did well to show how one day, although the little black boy is not equal to the white boy, they will be equal in the eyes of God. The little black boy now understands that it is a sacrifice because the His skin is tougher than the white boy's. But one day God will consider him his equal in the afterlife. In 1788, William Cowper wrote The Negro's Complaint in support of ending the slave trade. The black character Cowper questions his captors' understanding of God. He doesn't understand why God enslaved him. He asks if God wants them to treat him like a slave. . The importance of religion during that time makes it almost a shame to agree with slavery in any way. This is why both poets create a black character who supports slavery religiously.