Political, economic, social, and moral issues molded the antebellum fugitive slave crisis in the US and in turn the Underground Railroad (UGRR). A metaphor for an interracial collaboration — at times formal, informal, visible, and invisible — the Underground Railroad helped direct thousands of fugitives toward freedom in the face of such ever-present challenges as … Continued
How did American Christians in the nineteenth century come to see slavery as something that needed to be abolished? Christianity was a central feature of nineteenth-century American life for both slaveholders and anti-slavery activists. To argue persuasively against slavery, abolitionists had to find ways to use the Bible and Christian tradition, along with American patriotic … Continued
As early as 1851 John Brown began formulating plans for, and espousing the justice of, guerrilla bands to thwart the power of white slaveholders in general and the Fugitive Slave Law in particular. This seminar focuses on the meanings that Americans imposed on Brown’s actions as a way to consider the pressures for and against … Continued
Visual imagery played a major role in the anti-slavery movement. From the iconic image of a kneeling slave asking “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?” to images of family separations through sale at auction, images were an important weapon in the arsenal of abolitionist activity. This seminar looks at some of the imagery … Continued
In the 1850s, as the nation inched toward civil war, opponents of slavery claimed Thomas Jefferson as an ally, citing his ringing proclamations of inalienable rights. At the same time, proponents of slavery said he was on their side, quoting his views on Negro inferiority and pointing to his failure to free his slaves. Both … Continued
How should we define the Underground Railroad? What role did the fugitive crisis play in the coming of the Civil War? Why do so many people continue to rely on folklore when describing the operations of the Underground Railroad? This webinar will get beyond myth and legend to address these and other questions. It will … Continued
In November 1815, a woman known only as “Anna” leapt from the third floor window of a tavern in Washington, D.C., after she was sold to Georgia traders and separated from her family. Abolitionist writers seized on her story, depicting her act as an attempted suicide. Her act prompted a Congressional inquiry into kidnapping and … Continued
Throughout 18th- and 19th-century America, activists and abolitionists wrote and deployed poetry and personal narratives to voice outrage and spur opposition to slavery and race violence. How did these works ‘work’? Which ones were most effective and how do we know? What role does authenticity play and how much is literary craft? This webinar will … Continued