Abolitionists Primary Sources
Historical documents. What clues can you gather about the time, place, players, and culture?
Slavery Slowly Ends in the North
The Pennsylvania gradual abolition law from March 1st, 1780.
Hunting Runaways
A runaway slave broadside from November 2nd, 1853.
The Martyr
Summary on the life, trial, and execution of John Brown, 1859.
Rebellion and Redemption on the Amistad
Primary-source documents relating to the Amistad slave rebellion.
The Amistad Case
The full text of the Court opinions and the arguments in the Amistad case are available from University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
An Illiterate Yet Profoundly Eloquent Woman
Read primary-source reviews of Sojourner Truth's speeches, from the Sojourner Truth Institute in Battle Creek, Michigan.
One of the Most Articulate Abolitionists of His Day
My Bondage and Freedom, by Frederick Douglass, 1855.
Independence Day in the Land of Slavery
Frederick Douglass on what the fourth of July means to the slave.
A Voice for Freedom
The full text of Angelina Grimké Weld's antislavery speech at Pennsylvania Hall is available through PBS.