HISTORICAL NEWS JOURNAL

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The Liberator: A Race for Liberty William Lloyd Garrison’s The Liberator was a weekly abolitionist newspaper published in Boston. The paper held true to the founder’s ideals. Garrison was a journalistic crusader who advocated the immediate emancipation of all slaves and gained a national reputation for being one of the most radical of American abolitionists. A Race for Liberty ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD — ‘Ranaway from the subscriber, living in Washington City, on the 1st day of June, a Negro man, named Vincent Scoot. He is twenty-one years old, five feet, six or eight inches high, straight and well formed; he is an excellent house servant, carriage driver, and ostler; he acted as a waiter to my son Lieut. Henry Stewart, five years, in the Western army. He has a scar on his right arm, near the elbow, and about two and a half inches in length, and half an inch wide.’ — A Southern Paper The above scar was no doubt received in rescuing his master from death, or fighting in defense of his country’s liberties, who, with five years’ campaign, together with shedding his blood in sustaining the independence of his county, is denied the pleasure of running away to enjoy it, while the humane master, instead of rewarding him for his services— offers a reward for his apprehension as a slave. The above sketch, delineated by a skillful hand, would make a beautiful frontispiece to the literary works of every American writer of taste. — African Sentinel Source:  The Liberator, May 7, 1831

AS A MATTER OF FACT:

Toussaint L'Ouverture was the liberator of Haiti. His successful rebellion against French rule in 1791, was the only completely victorious land-based slave revolt in history.

AS A MATTER OF FACT!

 The arrival of a slave ship in a city was a great event. The town crier hurried through the streets shouting the news. The local paper printed it. People hurried to see the new slaves.

HIS STORY PART IV

   
     "It was dangerous to stay below decks. The air was so foul. It was unbearably hot. Many slaves became sick and died. The shrieks of the women and the groans of the dying were horrible."

In his narrative, Olaudah Equiano tells what it was like to become a slave.

AS A MATTER OF FACT!

At first most slaves were shipped to islands in the CARIBBEAN. There they were sold and put to work on huge sugar cane PLANTATIONS.

Life for the slaves were so hard that many died within a few years. But there were always more Africans to take their place. The slave trade grew quickly. During the 1500's, slave ships brought about 240,000 Africans to the Americas. During the next century, the number rose to more than 1,300,000. Between 1700 and 1810, more than 6 million Africans were brought over as slaves. Millions more died during the MIDDLE PASSAGE.

AND THAT'S A FACT...

     ...BLACK PEOPLE ACCOMPANIED THE EARLY MISSIONARIES AND EXPLORERS OF THE NEW WORLD.  THESE PRIESTS, IN PARTICULAR, WERE CREDITED WITH SOFTENING LATIN AMERICAN SLAVERY BECAUSE THEY CONSIDERED THESE ENSLAVED AFRICANS TO BE PERSONS WITH IMMORTAL SOULS.
   
     THE SLAVERY THAT DEVELOPED IN THE SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE COLONIES WAS DIFFERENT, IN A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT RESPECTS, FROM THE SYSTEM OF BONDAGE DEVELOPED IN NORTH AMERICA. IN LATIN AMERICA, A POWERFUL CATHOLIC CHURCH, INTERESTED IN THE SOUL OF THE ENSLAVED AFRICANS, PROTECTED THEM FROM MANY ABUSES.

     IN AMERICA, NO CHURCH OR ANY OTHER POWER DARED TELL A SLAVEHOLDER HOW TO TREAT HIS SLAVES. THE CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA ENCOURAGED OWNERS TO LIBERATE SLAVES WHO BECAME CHRISTIANS. MARRIAGES BETWEEN BLACKS AND WHITES WERE NOT OPPOSED BY THE CHURCH, AND LATIN AMERICAN SLAVERY WAS NOT INFECTED BY RACIAL PREJUDICE.



***Eyewitness: The Negro in American History - William Loren Katz

HISTORICAL NEWS JOURNAL

BLACK CHURCH GROWS
        FROM EXCLUSION

Philadelphia, Pa., Feb., 1793 - Two highly respected
Philadelphia men of color, Richard Allen and Absalom
Jones, have announced plans to establish black churches
here.
     Despite strong opposition from white Methodists,
they have purchased and broken ground on two lots...
For several years after the late war with Britain, black
Methodists worshipped harmoniously with whites in
Philadelphia's leading Methodist church. But they
found themselves increasingly scorned and insulted.
First required to sit around  the outer walls of the
church they had helped build, they were one day
expelled to the upper gallery...
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MASONS IN BOSTON

     White exclusion has also prompted Prince Hall
of Boston to establish the Black Masons. At first
refused admission to the White Masons of
America, he joined a British lodge. After the war,
in 1784, Mr. Hall formed this country's first black
masonic lodge.
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                     MASONS
Attend a Meeting on Thursday
Next, Mar. 7, 1793,
        
     To be discussed:

WHAT SHOULD BE the
ATTITUDE of  BLACK
MASONS towards WHITE
AMERICAN MASONS?

Any Black man wishing to join
the AFRICAN GRAND LODGE
is WELCOME TO ATTEND

                                    Prince Hall
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                      THOMAS 
                     JEFFERSON
                           Slave
                           Owner

February, 1793 - Despite his misgivings about
slavery, Thomas Jefferson himself owns over
200 slaves. An often quoted reason for his
reluctance to free them is that he might face
financial ruin by doing so...

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DO NOT USE
     SUGAR
    OR OTHER
PRODUCTS OF
SLAVE LABOR

--------------------------------------------------------------
SIX POUNDS
   REWARD

The following ad was printed
yesterday by the Federal
Gazette.
RAN-AWAY on the sixth of
September last a FRENCH
NEGRO LAD, about eighteen
years of age, about five feet
high; has a mark on his left
cheek.

________________________________________________________
***The preceding were actual newspaper articles

Nat Turner - COMMUNITY CREATOR

Nat Turner was born a slave in South Hampton, Virginia on October 2, 1800. He learned to read and write at an early age. Study of the bible was his primary source of knowledge and inspiration

    

Turner often preached the Bible to his fellow slaves, and conducted Baptist services by the wayside. His fellow slaves on the plantation dubbed him "the prophet," He also had an influence over white abolitionists who supported him.

Turner spent his lifetime in a plantation area in which the enslaved laborers made up the majority population. He was often identified by his peers as having "natural intelligence, and quickness of apprehension."

He was deeply religious, and was often seen fasting, praying, or immersed in reading the stories and laws of the scriptures. He frequently had visions which he interpreted as messages from God. These visions greatly influenced his life.

In 1828 Turner was convinced that he was "ordained for some great purpose in the  hands of the Almighty."

Early in the beginning months of 1831, Turner came to believe that certain changes in atmospheric conditions, were signs that he should start preparing for the  rebellion of slaves against their owners. 

Finally on August 2, 1831, Turner lead a rebellion of over 70 slaves and free Blacks that resulted in the deaths of over 60 white people.

 The revolt was suppressed in two days, and then hundreds of Blacks were hunted down and arrested; some of them had nothing to do with the rebellion.

Turner was captured around October 30, 1831, when he was discovered in an underground hideout by a white farmer. 

He was tried, convicted, and hung by the neck until dead on November 11th. 

As a result of "Nat Turner's Rebellion," Southern states passed stricter laws on the already harsh laws governing the institution of slavery to prevent further Black uprisings from occurring.

During the times after the rebellion, Blacks have come to regard Turner as a hero of resistance, who made slave-owners pay for the hardships they caused Black people to suffer..

Some historians believe that Nat Turner's rebellion marked the turning point in the Black struggle for liberation.

To read more on Nat Turner, Google-search his name.

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HISTORICAL NEWS JOURNAL

POEMS
on Comic, Serious
and Moral Subjects
by Phyllis Wheatley

            Printed for J. French
                 bookseller (1784)

Ed. Note: We express our deep
sorrow at the death of Miss
Wheatley, who after an
unfortunate marriage to John
Peters (who neglected her and
her child), died a pauper, forced
to work in a boarding house to
provide for herself and her
family.

===========================
     The Will

Among the Bequests of
George Fox, who Died Last
Year, are mentioned: 1 Negro
Man, 1 warming Pan, 1 old
looking glass, & 1 gun.

========================
     Wins Lottery,
     Buys Freedom

Newport Gardner, a slave in
Rhode Island, recently won
$2,000 in a lottery. The next
day Mr. Gardner bought himself
and most of his family.
===========================
Collector's Sale

Let those who are careless
about the abolition of Slavery,
read the following advertisements:
Will be offered for public sale
Thursday next at Urqudart's
Tavern, in Friendship, one Negro
woman named Nelly, one girl
named Harriet, one boy named
William, and one named John
and three head of horses. Seized
and taken to satisfy county
taxes due for 1830 and 1831.
             ISRAEL DAVIDSON
              Maryland Republican
...........................................
Ran away, a NEGRO WOMAN
and two children: a few days
before she went off, I burnt her
with a hot iron, on the left side of
her face. I tried to make the letter
M.      Raleigh Standard
.............................................
Any person having sick Negroes,
considered incurable by their
respective physicians, and wishing
to dispose of them, Dr, Stillman
will pay cash......
                   Charleston Mercury




***The preceding were actual newspaper articles

HISTORICAL NEWS JOURNAL

RHODE ISLAND SLAVES
TO FIGHT REDCOATS

Washington Reverses Policy, Endorses R.I. Bill

Providence, R.I., Feb. 14, 1778 - Starting today, Rhode Island slaves will be fighting the redcoats in return for their freedom. The R.I. Assembly has passed a bill allowing slaves to enlist in the state forces without permission from their masters...

...R.I.'s action marks a complete reversal of the policy set down by His Excellency General Washington three years ago, excluding all blacks from the war. General Washington himself has changed his attitude on slave enlistment. It was he who urged the bill's passage...The bill's urgency was increased by the enemy's recent takeover of the capital, Newport, and a large part of the countryside...

...In creating the new "Black Regiment," the state bill declares that "A slave who passes muster shall be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress and be Absolutely Free."

...The "Black Regiment" will be the first all black unit to fight in the American armies. Approximately 3,000 free blacks are already serving with the patriots, but they are  scattered throughout predominantly white units.

Despite the hostility shown to black soldiers by many whites, men of color have consistently shown themselves to be brave and hardy fellows and their contributions  have not been overlooked by their officers...
...Sentiment against the use of black soldiers is still going on in this state, and the Providence Gazette may not even print a report of the bill's passage.
                                                        ....................

NOTICE
Today's bill has been
amended to halt slave
enlistments after June
or July.
Therefore, black slaves
interested in joining the
Black Regiment should
do so Immediately!

                                                    ..........................

Black Soldiers in the Early Engagements

Peter Salem, when the redcoats, under Smith and Pitcairn, marched to Concord to destroy patriot arms  and ammunition, Peter Salem was among the minutemen who exchanged shots with them. Peter was freed to enlist by his owners, the Belknaps of Framingham. He was in the fray at Breeds Hill, and is believed to have killed redcoat Major John Pitcairn.
Prince Hall, faced the redcoats on the battleground at Breed's Hill. A property owner and voter, Mr. Hall is considered the leader of Boston's small free black community.




***The preceding were actual newspaper articles

HISTORICAL NEWS JOURNAL

                                      FUGITIVE SLAVE
                                        BILL PASSED

Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 12, 1793 - A bill for catching criminals and fugitive slaves has been passed today by the Congress. The bill allows a slaveholder to seize his prey without a warrant of any kind...With it's passage, southern slaveholders have won a victory in their struggle to recover their escaping slaves. For now they can legally seize a slave anywhere in the nation...
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EXTRA
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FUGITIVE FLEES!

Boston, Mass., Feb. 20, 1793
-The first attempt to enforce
the  new odious Fugitive Slave
Bill here has met with failure!
    A fugitive slave, grabbed by
his master on the streets of
Boston and taken to court
under the new law, fled from the
courtroom, leaving the con-
stables sprawled on the floor.
     As he left, cries of "Run!
Run!" "Quick!"  "Get Away!"
were shouted by citizens of
Boston watching the spectacle.
    The crowd, rather than
attempting to apprehend him, in
fact, did everything but detain
his master to prevent him pur-
suing the slave. This incident
signals the attitude of many in
the state regarding the new law.
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*** The preceding were actual newspaper articles printed on January 1, 1794. 

HISTORICAL NEWS JOURNAL

PUBLISHED
THIS DAY
____________________

Dissuasion from
        The
SLAVE TRADE*
by James Swan

"No Country can be
  called Free where
There is one Slave"

*This Special Edition is
published at the Earnest
Desire of the Negroes at
Boston.
____________________

"African Poetess of the
  REVOLUTION"

       POEMS        
           on
VARIOUS SUBJECTS
   RELIGIOUS AND
          MORAL
                by
         PHILLIS
        WHEATLEY

With an Introductory LETTER
      by the Author's Master

                  SOLD by
     Messrs. Cox and BERRY
              at their store in
   KING STREET, BOSTON
____________________________

**The preceding was an actual newspaper article as printed on February 28, 1778.

HISTORICAL NEWS JOURNAL

Black Poet
   arrives
In Hartford

Hartford, Conn.- Jupiter
Hammon, the first black man to
publish poetry in these colonies,
recently arrived in this literary
capital with his master, Joseph
Lloyd. They fled Long Island
shortly before it was taken
by the enemy.
     Hammon is a man of rare
talent, completely unschooled
and self-taught in the art of
writing. His most famous piece,
published in 1760, is entitled An 
Evening Thought: Salvation By 
Christ With Penitential Cries.
     We can assure our readers
that Mr. Hammon is presently
composing a new work, to be
entitled An Essay on the Ten 
Virgins. It will soon be available
for purchase at the Printing
Office in Hartford.
=========================================
**The preceding was an actual newspaper article as printed on February 28, 1778.

ABOUT "SUNDOWN TO SUNUP"

 SUNDOWN TO SUNUP , is based on a book by George P. Rawick in which he demonstrates that Black slaves developed their own social structures,  an awareness of their situation, and the means to survive within it. In doing so, they started the process which made the Black community into what it is today.

Upon  arrival in this country, the Black slave toiled on the plantation from SUNUP TO SUNDOWN working for the white slave master. He was forced to abandon his African past, and was not taught how to communicate with each other in this new environment.  These were the conditions of slave life in the United States. 

But from SUNDOWN TO SUNUP ,the slave created his own world. Under the new conditions in which he lived, he started social institutions and used behavior patterns within this foreign community, to replace the old African cultural traditions. By these means, he was able to survive the pressures to become creatures of his master's will, and thus prevented himself from becoming an absolute victim. The building of important social structures such as schools, churches, and civic organizations made it possible for the slave to build a new Black community. This blog will focus on  HOW THAT COMMUNITY WAS CREATED.