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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC09088 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1851 |
| Title | James W. C. Pennington to unknown discussing the Fugitive Slave Act |
| Date | 29 April 1851 |
| Author | Pennington, James W.C. (1807-1870) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | A runaway slave in his own right, Pennington, while avoiding arrest in Liverpool, England, comments on the situation in America and a fugitive slave case: "...My constant trouble of mind is the evils now pressing on my nation and people. What the end is to no eye human can forsee...[O]f the termination of the last Boston case - Thomas Sims has been given over to his claimant and has been taken back into Slavery. These cases are enough to break one's heart. It is difficult to see how the enormous evil and crime of Slavery can be carried to a greater extent. The whole land is full of blood...'Lord give us help from trouble'." |
| Subjects | Slavery Runaway Slave Fugitive Slave Act African American History Global History and Civics Slave Life |
| People | Pennington, James W.C. (1807-1870) |
| Place written | Liverpool, England |
| Theme | Slavery & Abolition; African Americans; Foreign Affairs; Law |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Born a slave, James William Charles Pennington (1809-71) was a blacksmith until he ran away to Pennsylvania in his early twenties. After spending several months studying under a Quaker teacher who took him in, Pennington moved to New York City, where he continued his education. Eventually, he studied theology and became a pastor. Pennington kept his status as a runaway slave secret until the late 1840s when he published his autobiography, The Fugitive Blacksmith. In 1850, he went to Europe until Scottish friends purchased his freedom the following year. From 1847 through 1855, Pennington served as pastor of Shiloh Presbyterian Church, one of the most respected African-American Presbyterian congregations in the United States. In addition to his involvement in the American Anti-Slavery Society, which he helped found in 1833, Pennington was an advocate of African-American abolitionist and religious organizations. An evangelical Christian, Pennington tied his work as an abolitionist to his Christian commitment. He also founded the Union Missionary Society, which later became the American Missionary Association. Pennington performed the marriage ceremony of Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray after Douglass's escape from slavery in 1838. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide |