The History And Impact Of Abolitionism In Cleveland

Abolitionism was a movement that set out to abolish slavery and put an end to the Atlantic slave trade. Abolitionism has a rich history in Cleveland as the city was a big part of the movement. One of the most integral parts of Abolitionism was the Underground Railroad, a lot of the routes and safe houses that made up this railroad were based in Cleveland and surrounding areas. Abolitionism was first thought about and brainstormed about in the early 1800s and the movement took off from there. Throughout this paper, I will explain the history and ins and outs of this movement in Cleveland. Then, I will illustrate the impact that it had on the Cleveland back when it was occurring and if it has any lasting effects. Slavery was never introduced in Ohio because when the state was formed and the constitution was created in 1802, slavery was abolished. Even though this was the case, Ohio had states that instituted slavery right on its boarder. In the early 1800s, Ohio was very strict and wanted nothing to do with black immigration. They made it very hard for African Americans to get into Ohio and live here. Ohio passed Black Laws that required blacks that came to Ohio to pay $500 to ensure good behavior and a legal document to prove that they were free. Even though these people were free, they had a tough life right out of the gate. This is typically how things went until the 1830s, this is when the abolitionism movement really gained traction for two main reasons. The first being that anti-slavery societies were being formed. Secondly, The Underground Railroad rose in prominence and had a lot more activity than when it was first formed.

In 1833, Theodore Weld, Lewis Tappan, and Arthur Tappan created the American Anti-Slavery Society. This organization created antislavery communities at the local and state levels. Their goal was to convince white people from the south and the north that slavery was inhumane. The overarching theme of their organization was that they wanted to end slavery immediately and they also pushed for equal rights African Americans. A new leader emerged in the society and his name was William Lloyd Garrison. His position against slavery was so well known and he was very active about letting people know his stance. After he became leader of this society, their popularity skyrocketed gaining well over 100,000 new people to join the cause. Over time a lot of the members started to think that Garrison’s views were a little too outlandish. They agreed with him in principle about putting an end to slavery, but Garrison was suggesting that if the south did not agree to disband slavery that the northern states should leave the United States and create their own country. This difference in approach caused Garrison and his followers to break away off from the American Anti-Slavery Society. The remaining members thought that the government was created so if you want to change the laws you need to elect people to make that happen. To try and make this happen, these members founded the Liberty Party. The next big society that was formed in Ohio was called the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society. It was founded in 1835 and a lot of what their organization stood for was based on the American Anti-Slavery Society which was established two years earlier. Their organizations goal was to fight to abolish slavery and then after that was done, they would fight for laws that would help keep African Americans safe after they would be released from slavery. Initially, this society was doing pretty well for itself. They had new chapters popping up everywhere and after its first year being established it had 9,000 to 10,000 members.

The majority of Ohioans did not like the message that was being spread by this group. The main reason the people of Ohio did not like their agenda is because they feared these freed slaves would migrate to the state and take their jobs. The main way that this group spread this message was through a newspaper that was called The Philanthropist. People who did not want to abolish slavery did not want this message getting out to the masses. A mob of these people were formed, and they destroyed the building so they could not print the paper. In addition to these societies, many abolitionism societies were created on some college campuses. The most notable in Ohio was Oberlin College. Oberlin College became a hotspot for abolitionist activity, in 1835 the college voted to allow black students to attend. The college was also a very important and popular stopping place along the Underground Railroad which I will discuss shortly. The school was so public with all of abolitionist activity that was taking place that on four separate occasions the state government tried to shut down the college. Each time this was attempted it was not successful. One of the most famous public displays of abolitionism by the Oberlin staff and students caused one of the most influential acts of slavery to be enforced by Cleveland. A group of Abolitionist came together to try and rescue fugitive slave John Price. He was being held in a town nearby and was getting ready to be shipped back to his owner in Kentucky. State troops were being called in to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act but before they could get there the group rescued him and took him back to Oberlin College and hid him there. The Fugitive Slave Act was one of the most important pieces of legislature that was passed before the Civil War. This act caused the most traffic ever on the Underground Railroad. Even though the Underground Railroad had already been around for a number of years, it was not used nearly as often as it was around the time that this law was passed. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required that If a slave was captured, they had to be returned to their masters. Even if you lived in a free state you had to comply with this act. If you were caught helping a fugitive slave, it was a federal crime now. So, if you had anything to do with the Underground Railroad you could receive a $1,000 dollar fine and up to 6 months in jail. To put that in perspective, $1,000 in 1850 is the equivalent to $30,000 in today’s world so needless to say assisting with the Underground Railroad activities was a risk and also potentially dangerous. Even if a runaway slave made it to a free state such as Ohio, they were not free yet. If they wanted to be completely free during this time, they had to make it to Canada. Before this act was passed, if a fugitive slave made it to a free state, they were free, and they did not have to go back to their owner. After this law was passed even if you were a free black man in a free state, sometimes bounty hunters or law enforcement would capture you and take you to a slave state to be sold. Nowhere was safe and this allowed the Underground Railroad to rise in prominence and during the 1850s it was the most active that it ever was.

The Underground Railroad was a web of people and places that helped runaway slaves as they tried to flee slavery. A good portion of the activity that was associated with the Underground Railroad took place on and near the Ohio River. Despite the name that it has famously coined, the Underground Railroad did not actually take place underground and was also not a railroad. It also was not an organization such as the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society. It was more so a collection of brave people who tried to move these fugitive slaves from place to place very fast and without drawing much attention. The consequences were so grave if they were caught in the act so the majority of the time that they would move people it would take place at night so the risk of them getting caught was a lot lower. Research has showed that the majority of the people that were assisting with the railroad were Christian. The reason that this was the case because slavery was against their Christian beliefs. Since the Underground Railroad was a secretive operation, the people involved had to create code names for important things such as safe havens and the people they were supposed to meet for example. The people who helped the slaves get from place to place safely were called conductors. Places where these runaway slaves had access to food, protection, and a place to sleep were called safe houses or stations. People who helped hide slaves in their homes or barns were called station masters. Last but not least, slaves that were being held by conductors or station masters were called cargo.

All of these code names that were created were used to try and ensure to keep the activities of the Underground Railroad a secret because if one safe house or station was found out then that could jeopardize other surrounding stations. The slaves also had code words that enabled them to communicate a little bit with each other and help each other get to the north. One code name was the drinking gourd, this referred to the Big Dipper because the handle of it pointed to the North Star, so they always had that as a point of reference. This was also a big code name because they did almost all of their traveling at night so the North Star would always be up in sky to guide them. Even though she is not from Ohio, she did help facilitate countless numbers of slaves to Ohio and her name is Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was personally responsible for saving at least 300 slaves by her lonesome and she is arguably the most famous conductor in the history of the Underground Railroad. Now let’s talk about two of the most famous conductors from Ohio, John P. Parker and John Rankin. John P. Parker was a businessman and was also one of the only African Americans to acquire a patent in the 19th century. Parker was very active with the Underground Railroad as he lived in Ripley, Ohio which is right on the Ohio-Kentucky boarder. It was also right on the banks of the Ohio River. He even risked his own freedom by going back into Kentucky to help other slaves escape over the river, he would then deliver them to other conductors in the town. He was well known by slave catchers in that area of Kentucky as well, so he took a big risk to help save some of the slaves and it ended up working out. John Rankin was a Presbyterian minister and he devoted his life to ending slavery. He lived in Ripley, Ohio as well and his estate was directly on the Ohio River. At nightfall he would help slaves get safe passage across the river and then he would take them in and hide them. He would also provide anything they needed such as food or water. His estate was one of the more well-known ones in the city.

In addition, he founded Ripley College and enrolled the first African American student in 1831. Overall, historians suggest that over 40,000 slaves traveled on the Underground Railroad just in Ohio. Furthermore, over 10,000 of the 40,000 made it to the goal of ultimate freedom which was Canada. The impact that all of this had on the state of Ohio is profound. With the amount of African Americans that were entering the state it made Ohio grow population wise and culturally as well. It also decreased racial tension because the perceived thought in the beginning by most Ohioans was that all of these slaves just wanted to come up to the northern states and take their jobs, but this was not the case. They wanted to migrate here to escape the horrible lives they were being forced to live in the south. It ended up helping Ohio out tremendously because leading up to and after the Civil War, Ohio was one of the best places to be whether you were black or white. In conclusion, the abolitionism movement has a rich history in Ohio with all of the Anti-Slavery societies and many people who helped during the time of the Underground Railroad. Many people were instrumental in being to accomplish all of the good that went on during this time. With over 40,000 slaves being brought through the state, Ohio was arguably the most important state for the abolitionism movement throughout the early to mid-19th century.

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