Tag Archives: black history

William Whipper

“Resolved, That the practice of non-resistance to physical aggression, is not only consistent with reason, but the surest method of obtaining a speedy triumph of the principles of universal
peace.” — William Whipper, 1837

Among the many speeches and editorials contained in the Black Abolitionist archive are three lengthy speeches delivered between 1833 and 1837 by William Whipper, black businessman and abolitionist. His were among the first speeches entered into the archive and the ones that had the most profound effect on me. Reading these speeches encouraged the excited feeling of discovery that would stay with me through the entire archiving project. Surely, I felt, I had discovered something that few others had seen. Surely, I thought, here is evidence of the seeds of change that altered the course of this country’s history in the years leading up to Emancipation....

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , , Updated: September 19, 2013

British Emancipation Day – August 1

Included in the festivities for the celebration of Emancipation Day each year, were speeches delivered by prominent abolitionists. One champion of the cause of abolition to speak in 1861 was William Howard Day, whose speeches and editorials can be found in the Black Abolitionist Archive among our digital collections. Day, formally educated (rare for a man of color during this time), spoke eloquently and passionately for the cause of freedom, for a reasoned approach to ending slavery. ...

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , , , , , Updated: June 30, 2014

Forever Free

History was made 100 years ago in the cause of human freedom. On the first of January 1863, Abraham Lincoln (16th president of the United States) signed the Emancipation Proclamation declaring the end of slavery in the Confederate states. Part of this document states: “That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof...

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , , , , , , , Updated: June 3, 2013

Valuable Package

On June 7, 1849, an amazing tale of one man’s courageous flight from slavery was published in the Emancipator, one of many black abolitionist newspapers in circulation at the time. The editorial is titled, “Thrilling Narrative,” and in it the author tells the story of Henry Brown who escaped slavery by having himself shipped to freedom in a sealed crate. His ordeal almost cost him his life, but earned him his freedom, the admiration of all who heard his story, and the nickname Henry “Box” Brown....

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , , , , Updated: March 22, 2013

The Struggle for Freedom: A Sibling Rebellion

One prominent member of the Black Abolitionist movement was a man named Charles Lenox Remond (February 1, 1810 – December 22, 1873). Charles Remond was considered one of the great orators of this movement and indeed of his time, but little is remembered of him. Those in the Black Abolitionist movement who, like Remond, devoted countless hours, energy, and determination to end the horrors of slavery are overshadowed by the social memory of men like Frederick Douglas and George Washington Carver. And while most black abolitionist men are not remembered, it’s rare that anyone even knows about the existence of black abolitionist women who fought alongside these great men. Sarah Parker Remond, Charles Lenox Remond’s sister, was one of these women....

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , Updated: February 13, 2013
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