Jezierski, Rachael A. (2011) The Glasgow Emancipation Society and the American Anti-Slavery Movement. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2641/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] The Glasgow Emancipation Society and the American Anti-Slavery Movement Rachael A. Jezierski, MA (Hons-1st Degree) Submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History College of Arts University of Glasgow October 2010 ! Rachael A. Jezierski 2010 ! "! Abstract This study reinterprets the history of the Glasgow Emancipation Society and its relationship to the American Anti-Slavery movement in the nineteenth century. It examines the role of economics, religion and reform, from Colonial times up to the US Civil War, in order to determine its influence on abolition locally and nationally. This thesis emphasizes the reformist tendencies of the Glasgow abolitionists and how this dynamic significantly influenced their adherence to the original American Anti-Slavery Society and William Lloyd Garrison. It questions the infallibility of the evangelical response to anti-slavery in Scotland, demonstrating how Scottish-American ecclesiastical ties, and the preservation of Protestant unity, often conflicted with abolitionist efforts in Glasgow. It also focuses on the true leaders of GES, persons often ignored in historical accounts concerning Scottish anti-slavery, which explains the motivation and rational behind the society’s zealous attitude and proactive policies. It argues that similar social, political and religious imperatives that affected the American movement likewise mirrored events in Scotland influencing Glaswegian anti-slavery. Lastly, it resurrects the legacy of the Glasgow Emancipation Society from its provincial role, showing it was, in fact, a leader in the British campaign against American slavery. ! #! Table of Contents Acknowledgements 4 Abbreviations 5-6 Introduction 7-15 Chapter I: The Beginning—Glasgow Emancipation Society’s formation, 16-34 attitude and influences Chapter II: The Scottish-American connection 35-67 Chapter III: Restraint, Reflection and Reaction 68-108 Chapter IV: “By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall” 109-152 Chapter V: Church and State Disunion: “No Union with Slaveholders, 153-192 nor fellowship with pro-slavery minister or churches” Conclusion 193-196 Bibliography 197-220 Acknowledgements In the first instance, I must thank Colin C. Kidd and Edward J. Cowan. My supervisors consistently offered constructive advice and sound counsel throughout the years. Their mode of teaching and supervision is exceptional, and I feel privileged to work with such great scholars. Both are a credit to their professions and I hope our paths will cross again in the future. I wish to thank the University of Glasgow Arts Faculty and College of Humanities for funding my doctorate, as well as the Carnegie Trust and Royal History Society for their generous grants. The staff at the Mitchell Library Special Collections department, in particular, deserves special notice. Over the years, I have spent numerous hours researching the William Smeal Collection and, as always, the staff was incredibility helpful and diligent. Similarly, the National Archives of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland’s personnel were welcoming and professional. It was a pleasure to do research in all three facilities and, I believe, it is their common commitment to service that sets them apart. I would also like to acknowledge several fellow University of Glasgow graduate students and staff: Marc Alexander, Esme Binoth, Kimm Curran, Sarah Erskine, Nathan Gray, Paul Jenkins, Kathleen Johnston, Iain MacDonald, Dorothy Mallon, Janet McDonald, Ralph McLean, Valerie Wallace, and Melodee Beals Wood. Some have encouraged and supported me since my undergraduate days, and others have, in the final years, risen to the occasion, offering their help when I needed them most, and for that I am very grateful. On a personal note, I want to thank my good friends, Jo Brown, Jody Dahle and Anne Hogan for always being there for me. I am grateful to have such wonderful people in my life. My parents, likewise, championed my various endeavors throughout the years. I know this particular achievement is special to them and I hope I have made them proud. And, finally, I want to thank my beautiful daughter, Samantha, who was born during my studies, for her overwhelming love and patience. You are my greatest inspiration. ! %! List of Abbreviations AASRP American Anti-Slavery Reporter AASS American Anti-Slavery Society ABCFM American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ACLA Anti-Corn Law League (Glasgow) ACS American Colonization Society AFASS American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society AJ Aberdeen Journal APS Aborigines Protection Society AR African Repository ASR British Anti-Slavery Reporter (LASS) ASSR American Anti-Slavery Record (AASS) BAA Taylor, Clare, British and American Abolitionists (Edinburgh, 1974) BCLASS Bristol and Clifton Ladies Anti-Slavery Society BF British Friend BFASS British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society BFASR British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter BFSUA British and Foreign Society for Universal Abolition of Negro Slavery and the Slave Trade BIS British India Society BoFASS Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society CoS Church of Scotland CM Caledonian Mercury CUS Congregational Union of Scotland DC Dundee Courier DSCHT Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, ed., Nigel M. de S. Cameron (Edinburgh, 1993) EC Eclectic Review ENASS Edinburgh New Anti-Slavery Society ER Edinburgh Review EES Edinburgh Emancipation Society EU Evangelical Union FCS Free Church of Scotland ! &! GA Glasgow Argus GASS Glasgow Anti-Slavery Society (original) GC Glasgow Chronicle GES Glasgow Emancipation Society GFASS Glasgow Female Anti-Slavery Society GESMB Glasgow Emancipation Society Minutes Books, William Smeal Collection, Mitchell Library GFNA Glasgow Female New Anti-Slavery Association GH Glasgow Herald GM Gentleman’s Magazine GNASS Glasgow New Anti-Slavery Society GPRA Glasgow Parliamentary Reform Association GPU Glasgow Political Union GRA Glasgow Reform Association GUSA Glasgow Universal Suffrage Association HASS Hibernian Anti-Slavery Society ODNB Oxford Dictionary of National Bibliography www.oxforddnb.com MASS Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society MR Monthly Repository NAR North America Review NEASS New England Anti-Slavery Society QASM American Quarterly Anti-Slavery Magazine QR Quarterly Review RC Relief Church RG Reformers’ Gazette SIA Slavery in America SHR Scottish Historical Review UPC United Presbyterian Church UPM United Presbyterian Magazine USC United Secession Church WLG William Lloyd Garrison ! '! Introduction While canvassing local archives for sources pertinent to a survey of American-Scottish relations for the revolutionary era up until the Civil War, I consulted the William Smeal Collection at the Mitchell Library in order to gain some understanding of abolitionist feeling in Scotland, especially in regards to US slavery. What struck me was the glaring dichotomy between the industrialized wealth of Glasgow, knowingly founded on the proceeds of slave labour and produce, with the popular movement for universal emancipation. Why did Glaswegians, so reliant on the economic gains tied to various slave-related items—tobacco, sugar, and cotton, especially, not to mention their close commercial and familial links with American slave plantations, the British Empire and other parts of the world, en masse, oppose it? Perusal of the Glasgow Emancipation Society papers yielded more questions than answers. First and foremost, I was surprised by the lack of agreement amongst professed evangelicals in relation to the status of African slaves as humans, as well as some vacillation with regards to their rights as fellow men. This seemed at odds with what was generally considered an evangelically inspired movement, in terms of Scottish abolition, yet, had its own elements of indifference and dissention. The other, more potent issue to consider was the Glaswegian society’s predilection with American democratic ideals, both religiously and politically, as well as its constant focus on the Declaration of Independence, especially in relation to the individual rights of men. Here obvious parallels could be drawn between Scottish reformist activity and the plight of the slaves, but, then, why has it been portrayed as just happenstance or secondary in importance to the religious impulses for anti-slavery in Scotland? This was only the beginning of my inquiry. After further research and much consideration, I commit myself not only to answering such questions, as mentioned, but to exploring the psyche of the Glasgow Emancipation Society. In order to fully understand Glaswegian abolition for the nineteenth century, I felt it was imperative to understand the various mitigating factors surrounding Scottish anti- slavery and its preoccupation with US slavery through economics,