Life Questions from Amos Beman
Among the hundreds of editorials and speeches housed in the Black Abolitionist archive are several audio interpretations recorded by volunteers. These audio recordings offer a unique perspective on the published materials of those who worked so hard for freedom for the enslaved men, women, and children during the almost 300 year history of slavery in this country. Most of these names are lost to history; only the more influential of these abolitionists are included in our history books. The Black Abolitionist Archive in our digital special collections hopes to change that by introducing visitors of this important collection to those whose lives made an important historical difference to the way this country understands what it means to be free.
Listen to the audio file included with this one published speech, and follow along with the text version of it. Our hope is you will be encouraged to learn more, explore more, and come to know who these great men and women were.
Wikipedia tells us that Amos Beman lived between 1812 and 1872 (though the year of his death varies in other biographical information sources). Searching under his name in the Black Abolitionist Archive links viewers to three of his published speeches, along with one by his father, Jehiel Beman.
For more information on Amos G. Beman, check out his digitized scrapbook preserved in the Yale University rare books archives.
Click here to listen to the audio recording and follow along with the transcribed speech posted at that link.
