People, Locations, Episodes

George T. Downing, Abolitionist born

*George T. Downing was born on this date in 1819. He was a Black abolitionist and businessman.   George Thomas Downing was born in New York City to Thomas Downing and Rebecca (West). His father, Thomas, was born in Chincoteague, Virginia, to parents freed from slavery when their master, John Downing, a prominent planter, converted to Methodism. The […]

Harriet Tubman, Abolitionist, and Naturalist born

*On this date we remember the birth of Harriet Ross Tubman in 1820. She was a Black abolitionist who escaped from slavery and returned to the South repeatedly to lead other African slaves to freedom.

Susan B. Anthony, Abolitionist, and Suffragist born

*The birth in 1820 of Susan B. Anthony is marked on this date. She was a White American abolitionist and woman’s rights advocate.

The London Anti-Slavery Society is Founded

*The London Anti-Slavery Society was founded on January 31, 1823. Also known as the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the British Dominions, it was commonly referred to as the Anti-Slavery Society. It was founded with a meeting of men at the King’s Head tavern in London. The Society aimed to […]

The Demerara Rebellion Begins

*The Demerara Rebellion of 1823 began on this date in 1823. This uprising involving about 12,000 African slaves took place in the British colony of Demerara-Essequibo in what is now Guyana. The rebellion took place a few months after the founding of the Anti-Slavery Society and had a substantial impact on Britain. Although public sentiment […]

Thomas Higginson, Abolitionist born.

*On this date, in 1823, Thomas Higginson was born. He was a white-American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, and soldier.   Thomas Wentworth Higginson was born in Cambridge, MA. He entered Harvard College at age thirteen and was elected Phi Beta Kappa at sixteen. He graduated in 1841 and was a schoolmaster for two years. In 1842, he became engaged to Mary Elizabeth Channing. […]

The American Baptist Home Mission Society is Founded

*On this date, 1824, The American Baptist Home Mission Society was founded. This Christian missionary society was established during the Antebellum South era of America. Its main predecessor, the Home Mission Society, was established in New York City in 1832 to operate on the American frontier. Its mission was “to preach the Gospel, establish churches, and give support and ministry to the unchurched and destitute.” […]

Moses Dickson, Minister, and Soldier born

Moses Dickson was born on this date in 1824. He was a Black abolitionist, soldier, and minister.

Born free in Cincinnati, he worked on steamboats during the Civil War and saw first hand the horrors of slavery. In 1846, the Reverend Moses Dickson met with eleven other black men in St. Louis and founded the Twelve Knights of Tabor. (They were also called the Knights of Liberty.) This group was a secret society for blacks who wanted to fight for freedom from slavery. That organization used St. Louis as its headquarters and aided hundreds of slaves to freedom.

Sarah Jane Early, Educator born

On this date in 1825, Sarah Jane Early was born. She was a Black teacher, abolitionist, and feminist.

James M. Bell, Poet, and Abolitionist born

*On this date in 1826 James Bell was born. He was a Black poet, laborer and abolitionist.

John P. Parker, Abolitionist, and Inventor born

*On this date in 1827, we celebrate the birth of John P. Parker. He was a Black businessman and abolitionist.

Eliza Bryant, Nursing Home Administrator born

The birth of Eliza Bryant in 1827 is celebrated on this date. She was a Black abolitionist and businesswoman.

She grew up on a plantation in Wayne County North Carolina her parents were Polly Simmons, a slave, and her master. In 1848 her mother was freed and her family moved north, purchasing a home in Cleveland, Ohio with funds from her master. Young Bryant’s education is unknown but she was a pioneer in the movement to welcome and assist Blacks to the Cleveland area, particularly those moving from the southern states through the Great Migration after emancipation.

Nat Turner is Hanged

On this date in 1831, Nat Turner was hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia. Turner, a slave and educated minister, believed that he was chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery. On August 21, 1831, he initiated his slave uprising by slaughtering Joseph Travis, his slave owner, and Travis’ family.

With seven followers, he set off across the countryside, hoping to rally hundreds of slaves to join his insurrection. Turner’s rebellion was the largest slave revolt in U.S. history and led to a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the movement, assembly, and education of slaves.

The New England Anti-Slavery Society is Founded

*On this date in 1832 the New England Anti-Slavery Society was founded.

Originated in Boston, its preamble stated:

Emily Goodridge Grey, Abolitionist born

*Emily Goodridge Grey’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1833. She was a Black homemaker, writer, and abolitionist sympathizer.  Born in York, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of William and Emily Goodridge; she had three brothers, William, Glenavon, and Wallace, and one sister, Susan. Her father, a former slave, worked with the Underground Railroad […]