Category Archives: Abolitionists

April 9, 1863: Why should a colored man enlist?

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Allen Gathman

From Douglass’s Monthly, April 1863, an admonition to black men to join the Union army and fight for freedom. WHY SHOULD A COLORED MAN ENLIST? This question has been repeatedly put to us while raising men for the 54th Massachusetts … Continue reading →

Posted in Frederick Douglass, Slavery, U.S. Colored Troops | Leave a comment

February 22, 1863: Epithets

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Allen Gathman

The New York Times analyzes the nicknames used by the two sides against each other, concluding with a tirade against the copperheads. Epithets and Nicknames A Study for the Times. Men betake themselves so naturally to the use of epithets, … Continue reading →

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October 1, 1862: Frederick Douglass on the Emancipation Proclamation

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Allen Gathman

Frederick Douglass, in Douglass’ Monthly for October 1862, celebrates the Emancipation Proclamation, and calls for renewed resolve to defeat the rebellion. EMANCIPATION PROCLAIMED Common sense, the necessities of the war, to say nothing of the dictation of justice and humanity … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, Abraham Lincoln, Causes of the war, Frederick Douglass, Slavery | Leave a comment

July 17, 1862: Morgan’s raiders at Robert J. Breckinridge’s farm

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Allen Gathman

Robert Jefferson Breckinridge William C.P. Breckinridge Reverend Robert Jefferson Breckinridge was the uncle of John Cabell Breckinridge. Unlike his nephew, R.J. Breckinridge was a Unionist and an abolitionist, and had been instrumental in the efforts to keep Kentucky in the … Continue reading →

Posted in John Hunt Morgan, Kentucky, Rober Jefferson Breckinridge | 1 Comment

January, 1862: What shall be done with the freed slaves?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Allen Gathman

From Douglass’ Monthly for January 1862, a plea for justice for the former slaves. Unfortunately, events wound up going almost entirely contrary to Douglass’ prescription. WHAT SHALL BE DONE WITH THE SLAVES IF EMANCIPATED? It is curious to observe, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Frederick Douglass, Slavery | 1 Comment

October 28, 1861: Garrison in New York

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Allen Gathman

William Lloyd Garrison Famous abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison visited New York, and gave an impromptu speech. The article from the New York Times is noteworthy to me mainly because of its headline. Apparently irony wasn’t nearly so well-developed in the … Continue reading →

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September, 1861: Douglass — “Cast Off the Mill-Stone” of slavery

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Allen Gathman

Frederick Douglass The official Union policy was still that the war was to be fought solely to preserve the Union, and that the government had no intention of abolishing slavery in the states where it existed. Lincoln, though his personal … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionists, Causes of the war, Frederick Douglass, Slavery | 1 Comment

May, 1861: Douglass knows how to win the war – Free the slaves

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Allen Gathman

Frederick Douglass Of course, he may have been a bit biased. But his May editorial is still prescient, and it would just take Lincoln a couple of years to come around. From Douglass’ Monthly, May 1861: HOW TO END THE … Continue reading →

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February, 1861: Frederick Douglass – “Slavery is the disease, and its abolition in every part of the land is essential to the future quiet and security of the country.”

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Allen Gathman

Frederick Douglass THE UNION AND HOW TO SAVE IT Douglass’ Monthly, February, 1861 In viewing the alleged causes of the present perilous and dilapidated condition of the Federal Union, and the various plans by which it is proposed to set … Continue reading →

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December 16, 1860: Wendell Phillips speaks on “Mobs and Education”

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Allen Gathman

Wendell Phillips From the Liberator of Dec. 21, 1860: On Sunday forenoon,the Twenty-Eighth Congregational Society (Theodore Parker’s Fraternity) held their usual Sunday meeting in Music Hall. It having been rumored for several days previous, that Mr. Phillips was likely to … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, Massachusetts, Wendell Phillips | Leave a comment