Anti-Slavery Friends

Abstract

ioo BULLETIN OF FRIENDS' HISTORICAL SOCIETY In these words what flavor of the olden days of journeyings for Truth's sake, and how clear a picture of the first meeting held by ministering Friends on the Pacific coast of America ! The transcontinental journey of Quakerism was accomplished. It was just two centuries to a year since the strong arm of Massachusetts Bay had tried to halt the hated sect at the gates of the continent by the hangings on Boston Common. ANTI-SLAVERY FRIENDS. Charles F. Coffin. Indiana Yearly Meeting of Anti-Slavery Friends was opened at Newport (now Fountain City) Second month 7th, 1843. There were a large number of Friends present who participated in this separation.* On the 6th and 7th of the Third month a meeting of the Meeting for Sufferings was held which issued an address of considerable length denying explicitly the charges that Friends of Indiana Yearly Meeting were opposing the abolition of slavery, and that by its measures in countenancing and supporting slaveholders and slavery, our well-known Christian testimony against slavery is not maintained, in the place of which apathy and the fear of popular sentiment have been suffered to get possession, and lukewarmness and a want of disposition to do anything for the slave has been the consequence. Another is that the proceedings of the Yearly Meeting, in its own acts, and of the subordinate meetings in carrying out its advices, have been arbitrary, proscrip- * The fullest account of this separation is to be found in " History of the Separation in Indiana Yearly Meeting ... in the Winter of 1842 and 1843 on the Anti-Slavery Question ... By Walter Edgerton , Cincinnati, 1856." This volume, written by one of the seceders, contains all the documents and correspondence, including letters and comments which appeared in the British Friend. See also, " History of the Friends in America, by A. C. and R. H. Thomas, fourth edition, Philadelphia, 1005, pp. 173, 174; B. Seebohm; Life of William Forster, London, 1865, vol. 2, pp. 193-210; British Friend, 1843, vol. 1; Irish Friend, vol. 1, 1843; W. Hodgson, "The Society of Friends in the Nineteenth Century," Philadelphia, 1876, vol. 2, pp. 9-49.—Editor. ANTI-SLAVERY FRIENDS??? tive, irregular and contrary to discipline. The epistle goes on to say that this and other charges equally untrue and unfounded against the Yearly Meeting and other meetings and their committees and individuals acceptably filling responsible stations in the society have been made and widely circulated. " We think it right to take this opportunity to declare that our Society and this Yearly Meeting has not relaxed in its testimony against slavery, that on the contrary, it is the united belief of this Meeting that the testimony has been growing stronger amongst us for many years past, and that our Yearly Meeting earnestly desires to improve every right opportunity, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to advance the cause of unconditional and universal emancipation , and to manifest on all proper occasions our testimony against slavery and oppression." Previous to this separation, the question of slavery was agitating the whole land. Strong and able men like William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips and others were by newspaper publications and public addresses attacking the system in a very vigorous manner, even going to what was considered a great extreme in their denunciation of slavery and slave-holders. The passage of a Fugitive Slave Act by Congress served to inflame the public mind further, and in various parts of the country " underground railroads " were formed to assist slaves in escaping to Canada. In short, the country was in a state of intense excitement, and Friends thought it expedient to issue an epistle in 1841, advising against the use of our meeting-houses for the purpose of holding anti-slavery meetings and delivering lectures. In doing this, however , they add that " It is far from our wish to induce on the part of our membership an apathy of feeling on the deeply afflicting subject of slavery. On the contrary we desire that all may faithfully maintain this Christian testimony and cherish a lively interest both for the oppressed and the oppressor, thus maintaining our peaceable and...