(1839) Daniel A. Payne, “Slavery Brutalizes Man”

Daniel A. Payne was born on February 24, 1811, in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of free blacks. Educated at a Charleston school established by free blacks and by a private tutor, he mastered mathematics, Greek, Latin, and French. In 1826 Payne joined the Methodist … Read More(1839) Daniel A. Payne, “Slavery Brutalizes Man”

(1839) Andrew Harris, “Slavery Presses Down Upon the Free People of Color”

Andrew Harris, (1810-1841), graduated from the University of Vermont in 1838. One year later in an address delivered to nearly five thousand abolitionists at New York City’s Broadway Tabernacle on May 7, 1839, young Harris argued that slavery in the South influenced racism in the … Read More(1839) Andrew Harris, “Slavery Presses Down Upon the Free People of Color”

(1838) James McCune Smith, “The Abolition Of Slavery And The Slave Trade In The French And British Colonies”

James McCune Smith (1813-1865) was a prominent physician and abolitionist. Smith was educated in the African Free School in New York City. When failing to be admitted to any American college, he enrolled in Glasgow University in Scotland in 1832 and earned three degrees including … Read More(1838) James McCune Smith, “The Abolition Of Slavery And The Slave Trade In The French And British Colonies”

(1827) Rev. Nathaniel Paul Hails The End Of Slavery In New York

In 1827 Rev. Nathaniel Paul, a minister in Albany, New York, hails the final abolition of slavery in that state.  His address given on July 5, 1827 in Albany marks that occassion.  The address appears below. We look forward with pleasing anticipation to that period, when … Read More(1827) Rev. Nathaniel Paul Hails The End Of Slavery In New York

(1809) William Hamilton, “Mutual Interest, Mutual Benefit, and Mutual Relief”

In January 1809, the African American community of New York celebrated the first anniversary of the slave importation ban passed by Congress. That celebration, however, would be the last. By the following year it was clear that the law prohibiting the “foreign” slave trade was … Read More(1809) William Hamilton, “Mutual Interest, Mutual Benefit, and Mutual Relief”

(1808) Rev. Peter Williams Jr., “An Oration On The Abolition Of The Slave Trade”

On March 2, 1807, Congress enacted a law that banned the external slave trade beginning January 1, 1808. With that act enslaved persons could no longer be brought to the United States. Although the law would be frequently violated until the eve of the Civil … Read More(1808) Rev. Peter Williams Jr., “An Oration On The Abolition Of The Slave Trade”

(1789) An Unknown Free Black Author Describes Slavery In 1789

We don’t know the name of one of the earliest orators against slavery. He was a West Indian who apparently was a former slave fortunate enough to be educated. He was also intimately familiar with slavery and the slave trade in that region. The themes … Read More(1789) An Unknown Free Black Author Describes Slavery In 1789