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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC04717.27 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection related to Gerrit Smith |
| Title | Personal Liberty Bill |
| Date | March 1859 |
| Author | Smith, Gerrit (1797-1874) |
| Document Type | Government document |
| Content Description | Begins with a list of the foremost duties of the New York Legislature: to close the dram shops, to prevent withholding suffrage from black men, and to protect the "weary and heart-broken fugitive slaves" within State limits. Includes an excerpt of a speech by Smith, arguing that the Constitution of the United States should not be interpreted as a pro-slavery document: "The Constitution is not for Slavery unless they who adopted it meant it to be for Slavery. But there can be no evidence that they so meant, unless there is evidence that they saw Slavery in the Constitution." |
| Subjects | Reform Movement Abolition African American History Slavery Runaway Slave Fugitive Slave Act Temperance and Prohibition Alcohol Government and Civics US Constitution |
| People | Smith, Gerrit (1797-1874) |
| Place written | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Theme | Government & Politics; Slavery & Abolition; African Americans |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Smith, a politician from New York, served as a U.S. Representative from 1853-1854. He was a noted philanthropist and social reformer active in anti-slavery campaigns and women's rights. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |