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The Anti-Slavery Movement in Andover Andover
Historical Society is involved in a continuing study of anti-slavery,
abolitionism, and the Underground Railroad. Sites such as the William
Jenkins House where fugitive slaves like George Latimer hid out, and
"conductors" like William Poor, who secreted runaways under the
floorboards of his wagons, are well documented.
Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in Andover from
1852 to 1863, where she was visited by leading abolitionists like
Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Sojourner Truth. Stowe's
political point of view changed during her Andover years, as reflected
in her writings. For example, she gathered signatures of ministers from
all over America, urging Congress to immediately abolish slavery. The
Andover Anti-Slavery Riot of 1835 resulted in the expulsion of 50
Phillips Academy and Andover Theological Seminary students. In 1846, the
Free Christian Church was established by anti-slavery advocates who
withdrew from other churches over the slavery issue.
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"When
Woman's Heart is Bleeding, Should Woman's Voice be Hush'd"
1830s Anti-Slavery
Banner, AHS Collection |
"Am I
Not a Man, And Brother?"
1830s
Anti-Slavery Banner
AHS Collection |
Slavery was the most divisive
moral and political issue of the mid-19th century, chiefly
due to Westward expansion and new states joining the Union.
Since the Underground Railroad was a clandestine and
dangerous method of political protest against the
institution of slavery, is difficult to document. To be
involved in the abolitionist movement not only meant a deep
personal commitment to human rights, but often required
civil disobedience.
Andover Historical Society is a member of
the Greater Lawrence Underground Railroad Committee, a group
dedicated to researching and documenting these themes in
order to separate history from the mythology surrounding
this subject. This Committee will link area sites with the
National Park Service's initiative to preserve and interpret
sites throughout the U.S. associated with the Underground
Railroad, as directed by Congress under the Network to
Freedom Act of July, 1998.
The images above are
from a two-sided painted silk banner in the AHS Collection. The
banner is in extremely fragile condition. Reproductions of this
banner have been painted on the walls of Memorial Hall at Memorial
Hall Library (Andover's public library).
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The Andover Historical Society... for
yesterday, today, and tomorrow! |
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