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Antislavery in the United States 1776-1865:
A Pathfinder
Main Page | Antislavery | Biographical Sources | Libraries & Historical Societies | Timelines | The Underground Railroad
Antislavery
Books - Newspapers - Websites
Books
Against Slavery: An Abolitionist Reader. Edited by Mason Lowance.
New York: Penguin Putnam, 2000.
This resource contains various articles/essays by those opposing slavery in the United States. Also included are
Acts of Congress, such as a the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and the Wilmot Proviso of 1847. See
the book’s Suggestions for Further Reading for an excellent list of resources
for further reading.
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895 : from the colonial period to the age of Frederick Douglass. Paul Finkelman, Editor in Chief.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
This three volume set is a good first step for novices beginning their research on antislavery in the United States.
Entries provide an introduction to the topic with references providing sources for additional research.
Contents of main entries are listed in first volume with index in third volume.
Encyclopedia of Antislavery and Abolition. Edited by Peter Hinks and John McKivigan.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007.
Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World. Edited by Junius Rodriguez.
Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2007.
Miller, William Lee. Arguing about Slavery: The Great Battle in the United States Congress.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.
Note: Also published as Arguing about Slavery: John Quincy Adams and the Great Battle in the United States Congress.
This title focuses on Congressional activities relating to slavery from 1835-1845. The reception of antislavery petitions
by Congress infuriated slave state politicians. They used a gag rule to prevent such petitions from being discussed in the
House of Representatives. However, Representative John Quincy Adams lead the effort to eliminate the gag rule. He succeeded, but
it took great effort to defeat this measure. Other men assisting Adams are Joshua Giddings, William Slade, and Theodore Weld.
Arguing about Slavery provides not only a narrative of activities in Congress, but also provides background information about the antislavery movement in the 1830s and 1840s. The Appendix contains a brief chronology of congressional events related to the gag rule. The Notes are a bit skimpy. There is a bibliography providing sources related to the topic. Overall, Arguing about Slavery is a good source to consult.
Schneider, Dorothy and Schneider, Carl J. Slavery in America: From Colonial Times to the Civil War: An Eyewitness History.
New York: Facts on File, 2000.
This source is a good introduction to the topic. Each chapter provides The Historical Context,
Chronicle of Events, and Eyewitness Testimony. Some highlights of the book
regarding antislavery include Chapter 10: The Argument over Slavery 1637-1865, Appendix A
containing primary documents, Appendix B containing a one paragraph biography of
involved in the topic, and an excellent Bibliography.
Newspapers
Anti-Slavery Bugle
(New Lisbon, OH) 1845-1861.
The Western Anti-Slavery Society published this newspaper.
Douglass’ Monthly
(Rochester, NY) 1859-1863.
A monthly paper by Frederick Douglas.
Frederick Douglass’ Paper
(Rochester, NY) 1851-1860.
Frederick Douglass changed the North Star to this name in 1851.
Genius of Universal Emancipation
(Mount Pleasant, OH; Greenville, TN; Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD) 1821-1830.
Benjamin Lundy’s antislavery newspaper in which William Lloyd Garrison served as assistant editor from 1829-1830
in Baltimore.
The Liberator
(Boston, MA) 1831-1865.
The infamous newspaper started by William Lloyd Garrison to persuade the public to oppose slavery.
National Anti-Slavery Standard
(New York, NY) 1840-1870.
This paper is billed as the official organ of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
National Enquirer, and Constitutional Advocate of Universal Liberty
(New York, NY) 1836-1838.
Benjamin Lundy published this paper for the Eastern District Executive Committee of the Anti-Slavery Society of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Freeman continues the title.
North Star
(Rochester, NY) 1847-1851.
The first paper started by Frederick Douglass to give himself a separate voice from the Garrisonians.
Pennsylvania Freeman
(Philadelphia, PA) 1838-1854.
The Eastern District Executive Committee of the Anti-Slavery Society of Pennsylvania published this newspaper.
Websites
African American Perspectives - Pamphlets from the Daniel A. P. Murray Collection 1818 - 1907 at the Library of Congress
This digital Library of African American pamphlets includes antislavery pamphlets such as the Thirteenth annual report presented to
the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society of 22 January 1845. Site can be searched by keywords, or one may browse the author and/or the subject index.
American Abolitionism
This site, which is maintained by graduate students at Indiana University-Purdue University at
Indianapolis, contains information about the abolition movement in the US.
This source contains background information, brief biographies of abolitionists, links to online
documents, a bibliography, and a listing of officers for the major antislavery societies. This site is a good first step in acquainting oneself with
the antislavery movement.
The Antislavery Literature Project
This digital archive contains historical and contemporary accounts of slavery. One will
find a wealth of material regarding slavery in the United States. This collection has poetry, fiction (adult and children), tracts, and travel
accounts, all describing slavery. This site is maintained by the
English Department
of Arizona State University
and the EServer
at Iowa State University’s English Department.
Carr, Glynis. Index to The Liberty Bell.
The Liberty Bell is an American Anti-Slavery publication containing essays and poetry from various abolitionists.
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: US Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1875
This Library of Congress website allows one to search Congressional documents for the years 1774-1875. This source is useful in locating antislavery petitions to
Congress and the actions of individual Congressmen in regards to slavery.
Documenting the American South
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries maintains this website containing resources
pertaining to the South. Included in this collection are digitized books and pamphlets regarding slavery, the
antislavery movement, runaway slaves, and the Underground Railroad.
From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection
This digital collection from the Library of Congress complements the African American Perspectives
listed above and contains primary resources pertaining to slavery and antislavery.
Gilder Lehrman Center Bibliography of Online Documents
This resource lists online primary sources pertaining to slavery. Included are speeches and correspondence of individuals
regarding their thoughts about slavery. To access such documents, one must browse the entire collection, or browse by author, date, subject, or document type.
Making of America (MOA) - Joint venture between Cornell University and the University of Michigan.
This digital library contains scanned images of US primary sources from 1850 to 1877. A good
amount of material pertaining to antislavery sentiment, fugitive slaves, and the Civil War
can be found in this site. The Cornell
version focuses on popular journals of the time, but also contains the War of the
Rebellion series. The
University of Michigan version focuses on books/monographs.
Nantucket Historical Association Research Library
One may search the NHA Research Library’s collection for items pertaining to slavery and
the antislavery movement in Nantucket.
The National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) contains various documents pertaining to slavery.
Their website includes images of
The District of Columbia Emancipation Act,
Emancipation Proclamation, and
The 13th Amendment.
You may also find the following resources:
- Historical Documents Online: African-American History & Slavery
- Research African-American History and Slavery
- Records about Slavery
primaryresearch.org
Primary Research is an organization that allows Beverly Massachusetts High School students to research local history. Various historical societies and libraries
of Greater Boston are involved in this project, which makes various primary sources of Massachusetts history available to all. Include in this site
is African Americans in Antebellum Boston, a portal to primary sources on this topic, including antislavery materials. Primary Documents
also includes Selected Articles from the Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison’s antislavery newspaper. The articles
selected pertain to African-American and white Bostonian voluntary antislavery associations for the years 1831-1855. These selected articles can be searched by keyword, or one may browse
the Liberator by year, topic, or by name.
Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
The Cornell University Library Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections maintains this excellent resource containing
antislavery material. One may search or browse this website for digitized pamphlets.
Seeking Freedom in Nineteenth-Century America
This article by Shelia Sibley describes an exhibit by the same title at the Newton History Museum
(Newton, Massachusetts).
The exhibit includes the abolitionist movement and the Museum’s Jackson Homestead as a
station of the Underground Railroad.
UMass Amherst DuBois Library - SCUA - Antislavery Pamphlets
This digital library contains pamphlets that demonstrate the various points of view New Englanders had regarding slavery
from the Revolution to the Civil War.
This excellent resource is maintained by the
Digital Collections of the University of Amherst DuBois Library Special Collections and University
Archives [SCUA].
Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture
This Digital Library takes a unique look at the US attitudes towards African Americans before Uncle Tom’s Cabin was
published, and the response of Americans to this work. One may search the site and locate primary sources pertaining to
antislavery sentiment. This site is a joint-venture between the University of Virginia and the Harriett Beecher Stowe Center of Hartford CT.
Williams, Harold Parker. Brookline in the Anti-Slavery Movement.
1899 essay on the antislavery movement in Brookline, Massachusetts.
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