Abolitionists in Unconventional Ways

Abolitionists in Unconventional Ways

Gerald Bannon

WMNST 497D

Dr. Donna King

April 30, 2013

Outline

1. Introduction

1. Frederick Douglass

1. Early Life
2. Abolition Involvement
3. Greatest Accomplishments

1. Benjamin Quarles

1. Growing Up
2. Facing Adversity
3. Contributions to the Movement

1. Olaudah Equiano

1. Slave Childhood
2. Early Life
3. Gaining Independence
4. Fighting the Cause

1. Harriet Jacobs

1. Early Years
2. Facing Slavery
3. Making an Escape
4. Telling Her Story

1. Susan B. Anthony

1. Abolition Involvement
2. Contributions to the Movement

1. Abigail Adams

1. Abolitionist Views
2. Political Figure
3. Fighting Slavery

1. Conclusion

Abolition was a movement that swept the nation during the 1800’s. It was carried out by a series of men and women throughout the country that believed in a much bigger cause than slavery; they believed in the freeing of slaves. Unfortunately, this belief set up a divide in the country, as many people still felt that slaves were a necessary part of farming and production. Abolitionists would often work endlessly to make sure that their voices could be heard, knowing fair well that their messages would only be well-received by a handful of individuals. More often than not, these abolitionists would find their lives in danger because of the things that they were saying and practicing. Nonetheless, they all pushed forward and continued to spread the abolitionist message. Some would become involved with newspapers and other publications, while others would rely solely on public speaking to convey their thoughts. Still yet, there were some abolitionists who became directly involved with slavery and did whatever was possible to help those who were still enslaved and considered “property.” It was not uncommon for these people to find their lives in danger from those who opposed what they were trying to do, but almost never did an abolitionist give up and abandon hope. They knew that they would face these types of dangers and they embarked on their mission knowing that they would come face to face with various obstacles. Fortunately, many of their stories have been preserved through time and are available to learn from today. At the same time, however, there are some stories that have been lost. These are the stories that need to be told; they do exist, but very few people know about them. In fact, some libraries do not even carry information on them, and there are people who will insist that they are not real. But they are. And in them lay the true stories of abolition.

Frederick Douglass is probably one of the most well-known male figures of abolition. If it were not for his successes and failures, abolition today may mean something completely different. Born in 1818 in Maryland, Douglass was a part of a slave family1under a master named Aaron Anthony.2Douglass was the son of a slave woman and an unknown white man, whom he never knew.4He would spend most of his childhood growing up with his grandparents, only seeing his mother a few times before her death.4Anthony died when Douglass was twelve and he went to work for someone else named Thomas Auld.2 Auld’s wife treated Douglass fairly and even taught him to read and write. Douglass said later say that the time he spent here laid the foundation for the abolitionist that he would eventually become.4 After seven years with the Auld’s, Douglass was sold to another man named Edward Covey.2Until the age of 20, Douglass worked under his masters doing whatever a typical slave would do: work the fields, provide free labor, succumb to random beatings. But eventually, enough was enough and Douglass decided that he needed to make his escape.1Unfortunately, his first attempt was discovered and he faces severe punishment, but that did not stop him; he would make the attempt again and be successful.4 In doing so, he changed his name so that it would be harder for his true identity to be figured out. He fled Baltimore with freed black women who he has fallen in love with named Anna Murray.He left the city under the pretense that he was a freed black sailor, and after a short trip he arrived in New York City.2He went on to write many autobiographies of his experiences, and he even spent sixteen years working on a black-abolitionist newspaper called “The Star.”1 This paper spread the news of abolition across not only the country, but also the globe. Douglass received much international recognition for his work with the anti-slavery movement.1 In fact, many would even say that Douglass was “the most influential black leader of the nineteenth century1”. Douglass’ writings are often regarded as some of the best examples of slave narration and autobiography; this is a great accomplishment seeing as though he originally wrote his stories as antislavery propaganda. But Douglass did not stop at just writing. He spent a large portion of his adult life giving speeches about abolition and the antislavery movement, starting at the young age of only twenty three.4He would give thousands of speeches in his lifetime and he would build a network of followers all over the globe. Douglass joined the Anti-Slavery Society and preached his messages of abolition. He felt that the main focus of the Civil Way would be to end slavery and allow blacks the opportunity to fight for their own freedom.2 His messages were strong, and people listened. One of Douglass’ most famous quotes is the following:

“The Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”1

What Douglass is saying here is that the day is meant to celebrate the independence of a country, but at the same time, there are millions of people living there that are fighting for their freedom, and he will continue his crusade to see that they get what they deserve. Once the Civil War began, Douglass continued his speaking and tried to persuade people that the war was needed to solve an even bigger issue.1 He also began to recruit black troops for the Union Army in the fight of freedom. There were even occasions where he would speak with President Lincoln about what was happening.1 Ultimately, Douglass saw the freedom that he so strongly desired, but he did not stop there. He continued fighting for racial justice and independence until his death in 1895.1 He is even noted as saying:

“Slavery is not abolished until the black man has the ballot.”2

In Douglass’ opinion, if he was able to escape slavery and gain independence on his own, so too, should all black men and women who were still enslaved.3 Douglass was a vital role of the abolitionist movement, and to think where things would be today without his involvement is unfathomable.

To be involved with the abolitionist movement, one did not need to actively speak or preach. At the same time, they did not even need to be alive during the “golden years” of abolition, because there is still much more that can be done. Such was the case with Benjamin Quarles, who was an avid player in the crusade. Born 1904 in Boston, he was an African American historian who spent much of his time dealing with slavery.5 Quarles went to Shaw University (the oldest historically black college in the south6) at the age of twenty three where he pursued a degree in History.5 He continued his education at The University of Wisconsin, where he earned his PhD. Having all of these credentials, Quarles taught at Shaw, became at Dillard University, and eventually made his way to the top of the History Department at Morgan State University.5 When Quarles was at the peak of his career and beginning his research, he was hindered by the national assumption that blacks should not be doing such things (even after slavery had ended and blacks were given equal rights). White historians believes that he would have a bias toward African American history, and would not provide accurate accounts.5Quarles was able to overcome these assumptions, and he became the first African American historian to have his work published in the Mississippi Valley Historical review.5 He also received international recognition as an acclaimed historian of the black experience in the United States.6 Quarles continued to write for the rest of his career, and in doing so he shed new light in slavery and the events that took place during its time.5 When all was said and done, Quarles had written ten books, twenty three major articles, and countless excerpts.6 Quarles was not an abolition in the traditional sense, but he still worked to uncover the truth and give the facts about what happened. In a sense, Quarles was telling other blacks to stand up for what they believed in: it may be difficult, but if they try hard enough, they will find success. He laid the foundation for many blacks to truly pursue their goals, and accomplish whatever they wanted.6 Unfortunately, Quarles died in 1996.5

When most people think of abolition and slavery, they think of America and the Civil War. The fact of the matter is that abolition and slavery was something that spread across the entire globe at one point or another. Before coming to popularity in America, slavery was a common practice in Britain. In a manner of speaking, the events that took place on American soil were repeated events that took place earlier in Britain. One of the most well-known British abolitionists was Olaudah Equiano. Equiano was born in Africa as a part of the Ibo (now part of Nigeria8) people.7 He was expected to follow the family tradition and become a high member of the village, but at the age of 11 he was captured along with his sister and sold into slavery.7 The two children would eventually be separated, and they faced their new lives alone. Equiano was taken to the coast where he boarded a ship and set off on his journey.7This voyage was known as the “Middle Passage” and was quite treacherous. In fact, there were many individuals of the ship that wished death over the conditions that they faced. In the early stages of his slave life, Equiano was treated very well, almost as a member of his master’s family.7At his first auction in Barbados, Equiano was not purchased, so he was sent to Virginia. There, he was bought by a man named Michael Henry Pascal, who worked for the Royal Navy.7 Equiano went on to live in England,earn an education, and travel the world with his master. Pascal changed Equiano’s name to Gustavus Vassa, after a Swedish king.8Equiano always believed that Pascal would grant him his freedom, so he was shocked when Pascal sold him to a man named Robert King from Philadelphia.9 While working for King as a clerk, Equiano was able was able to earn money, and finally he was able to buy his freedom.9After doing so, he began working in the trade industry and traveled on his own. Equiano finally made his way back to London where he became an avid abolitionist. He worked to help slaves gain their freedom, and he spoke about his own experiences.7 Equiano wrote a book about his experiences, and through it he further spread his message; this book is one of the earliest published by an African writer.8 During his life, Equiano fought to end slavery in England, but unfortunately he died before it would happen.7 Equiano was to England what Frederick Douglass was to America, and without his efforts the English slave trade may have had a different outcome. (It is important to note that there is great debate over Olaudah Equiano’s early years because there are very few record kept from that time; most information is a series of facts compiled from various sources, although no one knows of its exact accuracy.8)

While men may be regarded as the forefront of the abolitionist movement, that does not mean that women did not play a role. Many women spoke up about slavery and had their opinions heard. Unfortunately, there were many women who wanted to help, but simply could not because they did not possess the same level of status, education, or wealth. These are also reasons that explain why there are very few black female abolitionists. Still, there are some women who have been able to leave a lasting mark on the history of slavery. Harriet Jacobs is one of these women. Born in 1813 to slave parents, Jacobs was brought up in a very happy childhood. She even says that she did not realize she was “property” until she was about six years old.10 After her owners died, Jacobs had hoped that she would be emancipated12, but instead she became the property of a three year old girl; because this little girl could not own slaves herself, they were all put under the order of her father James Norcom, a doctor.10 While under Norcom’s ownership, Jacobs often faced unwanted sexual advances, which she was able to fence off. During her teenage years, Jacobs formed a relationship with a local white lawyer, Samuel Tredwell Sawyer. Together, they had two children. Norcom was not pleased with any of this, and he continued his advancements towards Jacobs.10 When Jacobs learned that Norcom was planning on putting her children to work on the plantation she knew that she needed to escape. After fleeing with her family, Jacobs spent seven years living in a small crawl space in her grandparent’s house.11 Her children were bought by the lawyer (their father) and Jacobs was able to see them every day, never revealing herself to them.12 Eventually Sawyer went to Washington DC for work, but before he left he did not grant the children their freedom.10 Jacobs finally decided to make the move north to Philadelphia and New York. Before leaving, she met quietly with both of her children and told them of her plans.12 Once there, she was reunited with her daughter, who had finally been set free by Sawyer. Together, they moved up to Rochester and began their lives as abolitionists.11 Jacobs still needed to evade Norcom, who was continually looking for her, and eventually a friend bought her freedom. Once freed, Jacobs became very involved with Douglass’ paper, The North Star.11 She went on to write a book about her experiences, titled “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” one of the first books of its kind. She hoped that this book would do something for the Anti-Slavery cause both in America and overseas. Unfortunately, the book was not published during her lifetime.10 To protect her identity and the identity of the individuals mentioned in her book, none of the names used were real. Jacobs always fought for the freedom of slaves, and once the Civil War started she helped to raise money to protect those that had escaped.11 She never gave up in her fight, all the way until her death.Jacobs view can be best explained in her own words:

“…in looking back, calmly, on the events on my life, I feel that the slave women ought not to be judged by the same standards as others.”13

“I knew what I did….and I did it with deliberate calculation.”13

Although not much is known about her later years, it is evident that Jacobs played an important role in American abolition and did whatever she could to protect black Americans.

Another player in the female abolitionist movement was Susan B. Anthony. Most people will associate Anthony with woman’s suffrage and do not realize that she was also an avid abolitionist. Born in 1820, Anthony came from a family that advocated abolition.14 Anthony can thank her father for instilling her with the ideology of morals and social justice. After the family moved to Rochester in 1845, they joined the Anti-Slavery movement. In fact, they would have weekly Sunday meetings with Quakers at their house, sometimes with Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison in attendance.16She began working as a school teacher, where she started her own advocating of abolition. While she practiced her beliefs in private, very rarely did she speak openly about them.14 That all changed in 1856 when she joined the Anti-Slavery Society; Anthony began setting up meetings, public speaking, and spreading the news of abolition.16 In 1863, she helped organize a Women’s National Loyal League to gain support for the passing of the thirteenth amendment outlawing slavery.16During this time, she had lost many of her previous followers because she believed that rights should be given to both African American men and women.15Anthony’s fight did not stop at abolition: she continued to press forth for their rights of independence and voting until her death in 1906.15