The Anti-Slavery Crusade: A Chronicle of the Gathering Storm

Chronicles of America #28

by Jesse Macy

There is no evidence that there was any direct connection between the publication of the Liberator and the servile insurrection which occurred during the following August. It was, however, but natural that the South should associate the two events. A few utterances of the paper were fitted, if not intended, to incite insurrection. One passage ... "Rather than see men wearing their chains in a cowardly and servile spirit, I would, as an advocate of peace, much rather see them breaking the heads of the tyrant with their chains." -from "The Turning Point" It's the rare history book that offers first-person knowledge combined with an understanding of the grander context in which the events depicted too place, but we have such a unique confluence in this 1919 book. Jesse May, born into a family of Midwest abolitionists and a Quaker noncombatant during the Civil War, grew up to become a respected historian and political scientist, and he brings his unusual perspective on slavery and abolition in America to this concise, clear-headed survey. From an expurgated tidbit condemning slavery in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence to the particular power of women in the antislavery movement, Macy's work is a brief but devastating argument about hypocrisy, democracy, and freedom in America in the mid-19th century. American political scientist JESSE MACY (1842-1919) was a professor at Grinnell College. He wrote extensively on political, social, and civic matters.

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

Reviews

[Jessica Roberts]

Here's a good, middle ground overview.....

Of interest is the stressers in the south that had nothing to do with abolitionists. This was written in the first decade of the 20th century, so it is close enough to events before various myths were built. But at the same time it was far enough in time to gain perspective. Highly recommended.

[Georgina Brandt]

An account of the economical impact of the emancipation movement before the US civil war. Also the political background mostly in the North, where groups like the Quakers in Pennsylvania pushed for emancipation of all slaves which led to the persecution of many of its members, this persecution was more prevalent in the South after the publication of pamphlets and articles promoting emancipation.

[Rohit]

Gg