The second volume in the Gallaudet Deaf Literature series showcases the work of Deaf writers from 1830 to 1930 during a critical formative period in their history. Excerpted works include autobiographies, travel narratives, romances, nonfiction, short stories, editorials, descriptive pieces, and other forms of prose. The evocative observations offered therein, many explicitly addressing deafness and sign language, reflect an urgency to record Deaf American life during a volatile and changing era in the nation's, and the world's, history. Using sensory details, dialogue, characterization, and narrative movement, the writers anthologized in this collection keenly illustrate the resilience of Deaf people in the face of direct and indirect threats to their way of life.