Tag Archives: slavery

Agitation

Agitation is an interesting word and one used often in the Black Abolitionist speeches and editorials. One definition offered by dictionary.com is: “persistent urging of a political or social cause or theory before the public.” This defining seems to fit, yet it also offers the idea that this type of action is at once determined and steady without being violent and aggressive. “Agitation” says “we’re not going away” as it demands change. While protest marches and rioting can spark immediate attention and forceful response in kind, agitation works slowly to alter the direction of a nation over time....

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , , , , Updated: August 1, 2013

Henry Bibb — Abolitionist

The story of Henry Bibb is fairly typical of a lot of Black Abolitionists. He was born into slavery in the early 1800′s at the peak of American slave holding, and he died before Emancipation. (His mother was a slave and his father was purported to be a wealthy plantation owner.) He sought out education illegally, witnessed his siblings sold to other plantations, and married young. He escaped slavery more than once, and established Canada’s first black newspaper The Voice of the Fugitive. He became an outspoken activist for abolition, fighting for freedom along side Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown, and became one of the best known Black Abolitionists of his day....

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , , Updated: August 8, 2013

Independence Day!

The July 4 holiday celebrates our national freedom and commemorates the hard won independence from England that Americans value. Yet for 300 years there were people living in this country without inclusion, without citizenship, without a national identity, and without freedom. Each year on the fourth of July, they watched the celebrations, the fireworks, and the merrymaking without feeling a connection to place or national pride. For so long, this celebration of freedom only served to remind a portion of...

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , Updated: June 21, 2013

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

Love and Freedom

This month we celebrate two of the most valued aspects of human existence: love and freedom. Valentine’s Day (observed in remembrance of St. Valentine) focuses our collective attention on romantic love. We traditionally celebrate this holiday on February 14, by offering those dearest to us acts of love and devotion usually in the form of something sweet and beautiful: candy, flowers, poetry, sentimental cards, etc.

February is also Black History Month. This month is filled with events that recognize the contributions both powerful and inspirational of people of African descent. From its humble beginnings in 1915 (50 years after the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment officially ended slavery in this country), this formal recognition has evolved to include a strong focus on historic people and events; lectures, group celebrations, and an increased awareness of the evolution of the American identity.

The following story from the Black Abolitionist Archive is our contribution to this celebration of love and freedom....

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , , , , , , , , Updated: February 14, 2013

Black Abolitionist Archive

The Black Abolitionist archive features a portrait of Anthony Burns on the Digital Archives page. While not an abolitionist himself, Burns’ experience played a prominent role in the direction of abolition during the turbulent years of the mid-1800s. His experience, occurring soon after the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, offered a turning point for public sentiment regarding the plight of the slave....

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Black Abolitionist Archive , , Updated: January 23, 2013
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