Many Pennsylvanians were very active in abolishing slavery. Recall that
the Pennsylvania state legislature passed a state law
prohibiting
slavery in
1780. African-Americans in Pennsylvania were very active in the newspaper
industry, promoting freedom fromslavery. In 1838, Black journalist
William
Whipper
of Lancaster became the editor of the National Reformer.
Dr.
Martin Delaney
, who grew up in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, became a
famous African-American who promoted freedom for slaves. He became
editor of TheMystery in Pittsburgh.
T. Morris Chester,
a native of
Harrisburg, was the only black correspondent to cover the Civil War. Later,
he was appointed U.S. ambassador to Liberia.
LucretiaMott,
a Quaker minister, was an active abolitionist. In 1833,
along with her husband James, she founded the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery
Society. She served as an agent for the
Underground Railroad
, often hiding
runaway slaves. First established in 1804, this railroad did not consist of
trains and tracks. It wasmade up of secret hiding places, escape roads,
and
conductors
throughout the United States. This network of people
helped slaves escape to the Northern states and Canada.
In 1849,
Harriet Tubman
, a former slave fromMaryland, escaped
through the Underground Railroad. Minty, as she was known, returned to
Marylandmany times to leadmore than 300 slaves to freedom through
Pennsylvania. The Confederates placed a $40,000 reward on her head. She
was never caught leading people to freedom.
Two Pennsylvania political leaders held differing views on slavery.
Thaddeus Stevens
was a lawyer who worked in York and Lancaster before
he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He hated
slavery and thought it should be stopped all over the country. He also was
active in the Underground Railroad. In 1856,
James Buchanan
, who was the
only President elected fromPennsylvania, did not like slavery. However,
nowhere in the Constitution could he find that slavery was against the law.
Remember that the Constitution deals with Federal laws for the entire
country. President Buchanan worked very hard to prevent a civil war.
Despite his efforts, war broke out soon after President Lincoln was elected.
TheUnderground, painted by Charles T.Webber, celebrates
abolitionists’ efforts to end slavery. It depicts friends of the
artist leading a group of fugitive slaves to freedom.
In addition to her fight against
slavery, LucretiaMott was involved
in the cause of women’s rights. At
that time, women did not have
many rights. They could not vote or
be in government. There was a law
that saidmarried women could not
own property. Lucretia helped get
Pennsylvania to change this law.
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Understanding Pennsylvania
