Library of Congress, sn84026366 “A Proper Attitude of Resistance” The Oregon Letters of A.H. Francis to Frederick Douglass, 1851–1860 PRIMARY DOCUMENT by Kenneth Hawkins BETWEEN 1851 AND 1860, A.H. Francis wrote over a dozen letters to his friend Frederick Douglass, documenting systemic racism and supporting Black rights. Douglass I: “A PROPER ATTITUDE OF RESISTANCE” 1831–1851 published those letters in his newspapers, The North Star and Frederick Douglass’ Paper. The November 20, 1851, issue of Frederick Douglass’ Paper is shown here. In September 1851, when A.H. Francis flourished. The debate over whether and his brother I.B. Francis had just to extend slavery to Oregon contin- immigrated from New York to Oregon ued through the decade, eventually and set up a business on Front Street entangling A.H. in a political feud in Portland, a judge ordered them to between Portland’s Whig newspaper, in letters to Black newspapers, Francis 200 White Oregonians (who signed a leave the territory. He found them in the Oregonian, edited by Thomas explored the American Revolution’s petition to the territorial legislature on violation of Oregon’s Black exclusion Dryer, and Oregon’s Democratic party legacy of rights for Blacks, opposed their behalf), the brothers successfully law, which barred free and mixed-race organ in Salem, the Oregon States- schemes to colonize Africa with free resisted the chief Supreme Court jus- Black people from residence and man, edited by Asahel Bush.2 Francis American Black people, and extolled tice’s expulsion order and negotiated most civil rights. A.H. had been an also continued his collaboration with the opportunities available through accommodations to succeed on the active abolitionist in New York for two Douglass through a series of letters economic uplift and immigration to the far periphery of what Thomas Jefferson decades, working most recently with that Douglass published between American West. These ideas comprised and others conceived of as America’s Frederick Douglass to simultaneously 1851 and 1861. Those letters document forceful and genuine resistance to “empire for liberty.”4 A.H. wrote over attack slavery and elevate Black peo- how Francis and his family, partners, slavery and racism, and were central a dozen letters to his friend Douglass, ple through education and economic friends, and enemies worked out life as to the free-Black abolitionist movement documenting and critiquing the region’s improvement. In Oregon, the Francis free Blacks in the territory built around that Francis helped lead.3 These ideas systemic racism and supporting Black brothers used the same arguments White supremacy. therefore informed Francis’s responses rights. Douglass published Francis’s when they petitioned the territorial A free man, Francis had experi- to the legal and business challenges he letters in each of the three abolition legislature in the fall of 1851 to exempt enced various degrees of servitude encountered after immigrating to the newspapers (The North Star, Freder- them from exclusion or to overturn and liberty in the 1830s and 1840s, com- Pacific Coast in 1851. ick Douglass’ Paper, and Douglass’ the law, identifying themselves as bining individual initiative and mobility In August 1851, A.H. and I.B. estab- Monthly) that he wielded against the “honest and industrious” men pursu- with social activism in New York’s lished what would become one of nation’s racism (and used to help forge ing business.1 The legislature took mercantile and abolitionist circles. In Portland, Oregon’s, leading mercantile a national reputation). no action, and the brothers stayed in the minutes of numerous abolition stores throughout the city’s founding Francis’s letters — only one of Oregon, where their business largely meetings where he was secretary and decade. With the support of over which has been re-published since it 378 OHQ vol. 121, no. 4 © 2020 Oregon Historical Society Hawkins, “A Proper Attitude of Resistance” 379 American Republic honor its ideals, ABNER HUNT FRANCIS was born centered on the concept of “respect- about 1812 to Mary Francis and Jacob ability.”8 Francis defined “a proper Francis in Hunterdon County, New attitude of resistance” as earning Jersey. His father had been indentured middle-class respect for achievement to service from age thirteen until he and character in order to win the rights turned twenty-one in 1775. As a free for which his father (a free man who man, Jacob then ranged across sev- Portland Art Museum, 1998.60.2 Portland served in the Revolutionary War) and eral states, serving in the Continental the founding generation had fought. Army and New Jersey militia during the Francis succeeded in Oregon due in Revolutionary War. In 1789, he bought part to the currency this worldview Mary’s freedom from her enslaver held for an influential group of White Nathaniel Hunt. After marrying, the politicians, businessmen, and editors Francises acquired a farm and beer in and around Portland. An ideology shop in Flemington, New Jersey, based on supposed worth and a hierar- and sent their seven sons and two chy of success had limits, however, and daughters to common schools. Free demanded an “other” to subordinate. Black people were allowed to vote in Whites in Oregon built a “frontier of New Jersey until 1807, when the state exclusion” in which several groups, legislature curtailed Black rights. That including Black and Indigenous peo- Jacob’s offspring knew of his fight ple, were less than welcome. Francis for freedom is certain. The Francises’ indulged such prejudice in one of his FRONT STREET in Portland, Oregon, is pictured in this view north from Washington son, also named Nathaniel, attested 9 Street in June following the flood of1862 . In August 1851, A.H. Francis and his brother I.B. first letters to Douglass from Oregon. to Jacob’s Revolutionary War service Francis established what would become one of Portland’s leading mercantile stores. The In adopting the respectability and when Mary applied for a widow’s pen- block where they conducted business is shown here on the left. mercantilism of the dominant culture, sion, and during his long career as an Francis voiced some of its racist views, abolitionist, A.H. often credited Jacob including that all Indigenous people and other Black people for the rights and free Black people in “degrading” they helped America win in battle but first appeared — show how systemic Francis had feared for his safety in 1838 occupations were of lower moral worth were made to wait for ever since.12 racism in the Oregon Territory reflected after defending “respectable” Blacks than others.10 Francis, who signed A.H. Francis immigrated in late slavery politics in the United States, how in Buffalo from attacks just weeks after letters in The North Star as “yours for 1835 to western New York’s booming White supremacists worked to thwart the murder of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy the oppressed,” nonetheless accepted export depot, Buffalo, where he began Black leaders such as Francis, and how by a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois.6 exploitation of people and resources an activist career for the abolition of a network of lesser-known abolitionists This may explain why he kept his profile as common. Like others, he saw the slavery and a clothing business with joined Francis and Douglass for years low in Oregon, where he endorsed, but West as a storehouse of resources fellow abolitionist Robert Banks.13 In to resist White supremacy across the did not join, the halting work of its few to exploit and supported the related 1836, Francis, his future father-in-law nation.5 White abolitionists in 1855.7 dispossession of Indigenous peoples.11 John Dandridge, and others were The Francis letters are also signifi- Francis’s letters show his persistent Francis repeated assurances that Ore- elected trustees of the Second Bap- cant for their first-hand view of life in the faith in what historians Patrick Rael and gon’s Black exclusion act would be tist Church organized by the Colored United States for an educated and ambi- Manisha Sinha describe as an “ideol- repealed just after his arrival in 1851, Society of Buffalo. When White citi- tious free Black man, and the risks of his ogy of elevation and uplift,” embraced but power wielded in favor of Whites zens in Buffalo attacked their Black publicly calling for abolition and justice. by Black abolitionists to make the quickly targeted him. neighbors’ loyalty in early 1838, Fran- 380 OHQ vol. 121, no. 4 Hawkins, “A Proper Attitude of Resistance” 381 Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries, Gerrit Smith Papers cis wrote and signed a petition for reasoned argument or physical confron- greater rights that invoked the service tation could end slavery.18 Douglass, like of his father and others to “defend Francis, Brown, and other free Black the institutions of the country.” During leaders, favored uplift, activism, and the early 1840s, he led meetings in immediate abolition.19 this and other Buffalo churches to Within a few years, Douglass expand the franchise to free Blacks began publishing letters from Francis (laws restricted voting to males with in his abolition newspaper, The North more than $250.00 in property), Star. In 1848, they worked together and to oppose schemes to colonize often, building a friendship that would Africa with American free Blacks.14 last for years. Francis opened the year By late 1837, he also had married with his first long letter to The North Sydna Edmonia Robella Dandridge, Star’s editors, Douglass and Martin R. A.H. FRANCIS’S signature is pictured here from a letter sent to Gerrit Smith dated daughter of Charlotte Dandridge and Delany, in which he argued that the February 27, 1849.