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  • Topic
    • Self-liberation 18 [-]
    • Slavery 11 [-]
    • Resistance 9 [-]
    • Antislavery 8 [-]
    • U.S. History, 1815-1861 8 [-]
    • Abolitionist movement 7 [-]
    • Freedom 6 [-]
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    • Mass media 6 [-]
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    • Free communities of color 3 [-]
    • Journalism 3 [-]
    • Societies 3 [-]
    • Advertising 2 [-]
    • Art 2 [-]
    • Colonization movement 2 [-]
    • Domestic slave trade 2 [-]
    • Education 2 [-]
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    • Men 2 [-]
    • U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865 2 [-]
    • Violence 2 [-]
    • Anti-slavery movements 1 [-]
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    • Colonies 1 [-]
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    • Garrison, William Lloyd 4 [-]
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    • Newspapers 6 [-]
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    • North and Central America 19 [-]
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  • topic: "Fugitive enslaved"
Your search found 20 result(s).
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  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

    Written by
    Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
    Published by
    Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, American, founded 1835
    Subject of
    Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879
    Phillips, Wendell, American, 1811 - 1884
    Date
    1845
    On View
    Concourse 3, C3 053
    Exhibition
    Slavery and Freedom
    Medium
    ink on paper, cardboard
    Dimensions
    H x W x D: 7 x 4 1/2 x 5 in. (17.8 x 11.4 x 12.7 cm)
    H x W x D (open at 90 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 7/8 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 12.4 cm)
    H x W x D (open at 60 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 1/4 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 10.8 cm)
    Description
    A first edition copy of the memoir and antislavery book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. The hardcover book has a brown cover with an imprinted decorative border and scrollwork. The title is stamped in gold lettering in the center: [NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS]. The frontispiece illustration is a portrait of Douglass, seated at a table, wearing jacket, vest, and tie, with his hands crossed in his lap. The first page prints the full title in alternating large and small type: [NARRATIVE / OF THE / LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS, / AN / AMERICAN SLAVE. / WRITTEN BY HIMSELF]. The last part of the title appears between two horizontal lines. At the bottom center is the publishing information: [BOSTON: / PUBLISHED AT THE ANTI-SLAVERY OFFICE, / No. 25 CORNHILL / 1845.]. The book has a preface written by William Lloyd Garrison and a prefatory letter by Wendell Phillips. There are 125 pages.
    Place printed
    Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Type
    narratives
    hardcover books
    Topic
    Antislavery
    Caricature and cartoons
    Freedom
    Fugitive enslaved
    Identity
    Literature
    Men
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elizabeth Cassell
    Object number
    2011.43.1
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd591fe36d9-f8c3-463c-9599-d71a955cbcaa
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    The Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser No. 2747

    Published by
    Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser, American, 1784 - 1791
    Subject of
    Unidentified Man or Men
    Unidentified Woman or Women
    Allair, Alexander
    Date
    November 24, 1787
    Medium
    ink on newsprint
    Dimensions
    H x W: 19 1/2 × 11 13/16 in. (49.5 × 30 cm)
    Description
    November 24, 1787 edition of the Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser. The four-page newspaper is on yellowed paper with black ink. The newspaper has several creases and the edges are torn in several places. The front and back pages have advertisements while the interior pages contain articles and additional advertisements. On the front page at the bottom left corner are two advertisements for the sale of two enslaved people. The top advertisement is for the sale of an unidentified enslaved male; 29 years of age. The bottom advertisement is for the sale of an unidentified enslaved female. On the front page in the third column beneath the fold is an advertisement for a ten dollar reward on information regarding a runaway enslaved person named Will. The advertisement describes Will in detail including his height and physical ailments as well as his language proficiency. It identifies Will as being from Buck County, Pennsylvania and belonging to Mr. Alexander Allair.
    Place made
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    American South
    Business
    Commerce
    Domestic slave trade
    Finance
    Fugitive enslaved
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Liljenquist Family
    Object number
    2018.43.9
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55c7afb26-e90f-493e-a758-8db0ac83a062
  • Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine: The Saga of Harriet Tubman, "The Moses of Her People," Vol. 2

    Written by
    Maynard, Joan Bacchus, American, 1928 - 2006
    Taylor Francis
    L.C. Arty
    Illustrated by
    Feelings, Tom, American, 1933 - 2003
    Jackson, Ezra
    Published by
    Fitzgerald Publishing Co., Inc., American, founded 1966
    Subject of
    Tubman, Harriet, American, 1822 - 1913
    Williams, Daniel Hale, American, 1858 - 1931
    Aldridge, Ira, American, 1807 - 1867
    Bishop Healy, James Augustine, American, 1830 - 1900
    Du Sable, Jean-Baptist-Point, Haitian, 1750 - 1818
    Golden Legacy: Illustrated History Magazine, American, founded 1966
    Date
    1967
    Medium
    ink on paper (fiber product) with metal
    Dimensions
    H x W x D (Closed): 10 1/4 × 6 13/16 × 1/8 in. (26 × 17.3 × 0.3 cm)
    H x W x D (Open): 10 1/4 × 13 3/8 × 11/16 in. (26 × 34 × 1.7 cm)
    Description
    Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine: The Saga of Harriet Tubman, "The Moses of Her People," Volume 2. The front cover of the book features a large detailed illustration of Harriet Tubman. Tubman is portrayed with her body facing the viewer but with her head turned, looking over her proper right shoulder at a large fire in the distance. Trees and tall grass surround her and two people are following behind her. She is wearing a blue coat, shirt, satchel bag, and has a kerchief tied over her hair. The illustration is framed with yellow bands and white columns on either side. The masthead at the top is printed in black text in a yellow box that reads [GOLDEN LEGACY / ILLUSTRATED HISTORY MAGAZINE], set against a black background. The logo for Fitzgerald Publishing Company is printed in a yellow circle to the left of the masthead. It has the initials [F / P] printed in white and black ink. A yellow circle to the right of the masthead displays the cover price [25¢] printed in black ink. The interior pages are newsprint with color illustrations. The last few pages include short biographies on Daniel Hale Williams, Ira Aldridge, Bishop James Augustine Healy, Jean-Baptiste-Pointe Du Sable, and a review of Golden Legacy. The back cover features a full color advertisement for Coca-Cola with Carmen de Lavallade. The comic book has thirty-one pages.
    Place printed
    New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
    Place depicted
    Maryland, United States, North and Central America
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
    Auburn, Cayuga County, New York, United States, North and Central America
    St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, North and Central America
    Classification
    Documents and Published Materials
    Type
    comic books
    Topic
    Activism
    American South
    Comics and graphic novels
    Education
    Fugitive enslaved
    Slavery
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
    United States History
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2019.22.12
    Restrictions & Rights
    © 1966 Fitzgerald Publishing Co., Inc. Permission required for use.
    Usage
    Usage conditions apply
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd59236e07d-0ffa-48fd-b51e-2723d1b3cad1
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    The Liberator, Vol. XXIV, No. 16

    Created by
    The Liberator, American, 1831 - 1865
    Edited by
    Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879
    Published by
    Knapp, Isaac, American, 1808 - 1858
    Printed by
    J.B. Yerrington & Son, American
    Date
    April 21, 1854
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W (closed): 25 1/4 × 18 3/8 in. (64.1 × 46.7 cm)
    Description
    A copy of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, Vol. XXIV, No. 16 dated April 21, 1854. The paper is printed on a single bi-folded sheet of paper with text printed on the front and back of the four (4) pages. The name "E. Richards" is handwritten in black ink vertically at the top right facing side of the first page.
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place printed
    Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    Activism
    Antislavery
    Fugitive enslaved
    Journalism
    Mass media
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Social reform
    Societies
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
    Object number
    2016.166.41.3
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd53fb37bea-8c13-463c-a714-644053a05724
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    The Liberator, Vol. XXV, No. 8

    Created by
    The Liberator, American, 1831 - 1865
    Edited by
    Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879
    Published by
    Knapp, Isaac, American, 1808 - 1858
    Printed by
    J.B. Yerrington & Son, American
    Date
    February 23, 1855
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W (closed): 25 × 17 15/16 in. (63.5 × 45.6 cm)
    Description
    A copy of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, Vol. XXV, No. 8 dated February 23, 1855. The paper is printed on a single bi-folded sheet of paper with text printed on the front and back of the four (4) pages. The name "E. Richards" is handwritten in black ink at the top edge of the first page.
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place printed
    Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    Activism
    Antislavery
    Fugitive enslaved
    Journalism
    Mass media
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Social reform
    Societies
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
    Object number
    2016.166.41.5
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5908f1b0a-a3f2-44d7-aced-44143f7d8ff4
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    The Liberator, Vol. XV, No. 26

    Created by
    The Liberator, American, 1831 - 1865
    Edited by
    Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879
    Published by
    Knapp, Isaac, American, 1808 - 1858
    Printed by
    J.B. Yerrington & Son, American
    Date
    June 27, 1845
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W (closed): 24 7/8 × 18 1/2 in. (63.2 × 47 cm)
    Description
    A copy of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, Vol. XV, No. 26 dated June 27, 1845. The paper is printed on a single bi-folded sheet of paper with text printed on the front and back of the four (4) pages.
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place printed
    Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    Activism
    Antislavery
    Fugitive enslaved
    Journalism
    Mass media
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Social reform
    Societies
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
    Object number
    2016.166.41.7
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55186b70f-5f56-4f7a-9ef7-e83fd77a8a56
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    The North Star, Vol. I No. 37

    Created by
    The North Star, American, 1847 - 1859
    Edited by
    Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
    Delany, Martin Robison, American, 1812 - 1885
    Published by
    Dick, John, British
    Date
    September 8, 1848
    On View
    Concourse 3, C3 053
    Exhibition
    Slavery and Freedom
    Medium
    ink on newsprint
    Dimensions
    H x W (folded): 13 3/16 × 18 1/2 in. (33.5 × 47 cm)
    Description
    The September 8, 1848 issue of the North Star, an antislavery newspaper published in Rochester, New York by Frederick Douglass. The paper is printed with black text on yellowed newsprint. The masthead reads [THE NORTH STAR. / RIGHT IS OF NO SEX-TRUTH IS OF NO COLOR-GOD IS THE FATHER OF US ALL, AND ALL WE ARE BRETHREN. / ROCHESTER, N. Y., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1848.] On the left side of the masthead is [FREDERICK DOUGLASS, / M. R. DELANY, / EDITORS / VOL. 1. NO. 37.] Printed on the right side of the masthead is [JOHN DICK, PUBLISHER / WHOLE NO.-37.]. The main text is organized into seven columns of small print. At the top of the column on the far left, above the publisher's notices and list of agents, is printed: [The object of the NORTH STAR will be to attack SLAVERY in all its forms and aspects; advocate UNIVERSAL EMANCIPATION; exalt the standard of PUBLIC MORALITY; promote the moral and intellectual improvement of the COLORED PEOPLE; and hasten the day of FREEDOM to the THREE MILLIONS of our ENSLAVED FELLOW COUNTRYMEN.] This issue contains several anti-slavery essays and letters, including a letter from Douglass to his previous enslaver Thomas Auld, titled [To My Old Master], as well as a critique of the Liberian colonization movement, news of the rebellion in Ireland, poetry, notices of anti-slavery society meetings around the region, and general advertisements.
    Place printed
    Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Colonization movement
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    Antislavery
    Communities
    Free communities of color
    Freedom
    Fugitive enslaved
    International affairs
    Mass media
    Self-liberation
    Social reform
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2014.151.3
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55eac1532-e202-4371-9070-7e1b33a478a7
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    Gordon Under Medical Inspection

    Created by
    McPherson & Oliver, American
    Subject of
    Gordon, American
    Mercer, Frederick W., American, 1838 - 1910
    Date
    1863
    On View
    Concourse 3, C3 053
    Exhibition
    Slavery and Freedom
    Medium
    albumen and silver on photographic paper
    Dimensions
    H x W: 4 x 2 3/8 in. (10.2 x 6 cm)
    Description
    Carte-de-visite of a formerly enslsaved man identified only as Private Gordon. Gordon is seated wearing trousers and no shirt. Facing the camera is his bare back, with severe raised scars from just above his shoulder blades to his lower back. He head is facing to the left and can be seen in profile while his left hand is resting on his left hip. Written on the back is "FROM LIFE, Taken at Baton Rouge, La. April 27, 1863 / Camp Parapet, La. / Augst. 4th 1863 / Colonel, / I have found a large number of the four hundred contrabands examined by me to be as badly lacurated as the specimen represented in the enclosed photograph. / Very respectfully Yours, / J.W. Mercer / Asst. Surgeon 47th M.V.". There is also a stamp in black ink which states: "FacSimile of original Official Report to Col. L.B. Marsh."
    Place captured
    Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Media Arts-Photography
    Type
    cartes-de-visite
    albumen prints
    portraits
    Topic
    Fugitive enslaved
    Health
    Medicine
    Military
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
    United States Colored Troops
    Violence
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2011.155.54
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public Domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd51909f11b-6b0a-49f8-9934-640a8107f1bf
  • CC0 Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved icon

    Virginia Herald Vol. XVIII No. 1386

    Published by
    The Virginia Herald, American, 1787 - 1876
    Date
    November 30, 1804
    Medium
    ink on newsprint
    Dimensions
    H x W (page): 17 x 10 1/2 in. (43.2 x 26.7 cm)
    Description
    Two newspaper pages including a front page. The newspaper is discolored, some damage at edges and other losses. Content includes news from Virginia, the United States, and the world, including reports of the French in Louisiana and notice of a French ban on printed news of any sort allowed into colony of Guadaloupe. Advertisements includes notices for sales of enslaved persons, skilled enslaved persons being hired out by their owners, and rewards for the capture and return of fugitive enslaved persons.
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place depicted
    Guadeloupe, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
    France, Europe
    Place printed
    Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
    Place depicted
    Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Classification
    Documents and Published Materials
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    Advertising
    Colonialism
    Domestic slave trade
    French colonialism
    Fugitive enslaved
    Mass media
    Self-liberation
    Slave hire system
    Slavery
    U.S. History, 1783-1815
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
    Object number
    2011.51.1
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public Domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5fa9e35de-2abf-41ef-8dd5-f581d4363293
  • Proof copy of the first printing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

    Created by
    United States Congress, American, founded 1789
    Printed by
    Ritchie, Thomas, American, 1778 - 1854
    Date
    1850
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W: 9 3/4 x 7 11/16 in. (24.8 x 19.5 cm)
    Description
    Proof copy of the first printing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 consisting of a single leaf folded sheet to form four pages, quarto, on U.S. Government-issued blue stock printed in black ink. There are two annotations handwritten in black ink -correcting "B it enacted" to "Be it enacted," and "courts of United States" to "courts of the United States."
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Type
    laws
    Topic
    Fugitive enslaved
    Law
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    U.S. History, 1815-1861
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2009.14.4
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5398a20ab-70ff-4fbb-b4c2-a06d94891c9d
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    The Hunted Slaves

    Created by
    Ansdell, Richard, English, 1815 - 1885
    Subject of
    Unidentified Man or Men
    Unidentified Woman or Women
    Date
    1862
    Medium
    oil paint on canvas , wood
    Dimensions
    H x W (unframed): 36 × 60 in. (91.4 × 152.4 cm)
    H x W x D (framed): 48 1/4 × 72 7/16 × 3 1/4 in. (122.5 × 184 × 8.2 cm)
    Description
    This oil painting depicts a fugitive enslaved man and woman beset by three mastiff dogs in a marshy landscape. On the right side of the painting are two human figures who face left across the painting to the dogs.The man stands in a half-crouch between the dogs and the woman, wielding a hatchet in his upraised right hand. Dangling from his clenched left wrist is a pair of manacles, with one cuff broken open. He wears a pair of faintly patterned brown trousers to mid-thigh, and has a red sash around his waist. His body has numerous scars and a round brand or tattoo on his left shoulder. The woman is half-crouched behind him knees bent, both arms raised to shoulder height, palms faced outward as she peers over the man's shoulder. She wears a sleeveless, loosely draped soiled white top, and a brown striped skirt tucked above her knees. Her hair is drawn back and she has small hoop earrings. The dogs are on the left side of the painting, with one of the dogs lying wounded between the two groups of figures. The scene takes place in an area of trampled tall grass with grey water in the background and a livid red horizon. In the bottom right corner there is a striped snake twining up a mossy dead log.
    Place depicted
    Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
    Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Visual Arts
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Movement
    Anti-slavery movements
    Type
    oil paintings
    Topic
    Antislavery
    Art
    Fugitive enslaved
    Slavery
    Violence
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2009.34ab
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public Domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5fdd405a7-a90c-46a4-8cf7-dd37419c380d
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    Frederick Douglass' Paper

    Published by
    Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
    Date
    July 28, 1854
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W (open): 26 1/2 × 38 in. (67.3 × 96.5 cm)
    H x W (closed): 26 1/2 × 19 1/8 in. (67.3 × 48.5 cm)
    Description
    The July 28, 1854 issue of Frederick Douglass' Paper, a Rochester-based weekly newspaper published and edited by Frederick Douglass that centered on antislavery efforts and other social reform causes. The title [Frederick Douglass' Paper] is printed in large text across the top, just underneath the title are the issue details printed between two horizontal black lines: [Vol. VII, No. 32, ROCHESTER, N.Y. FRIDAY JULY 28, 1854., Whole Number 344]. The text of the paper is densely concentrated in seven vertical columns and there is both a vertical and horizontal crease through the center. An inscription of the name [Stephen Reeves] is written in black ink at the top right corner of the front page. The last page contains a large advertisement: "Call for a National Emigration Convention of Colored Men to be held in Cleveland Ohio" and is signed in print by Martin R. Delany.
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place printed
    Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Colonization movement
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    Antislavery
    Education
    Fugitive enslaved
    International affairs
    Mass media
    Self-liberation
    Social reform
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2014.63.10
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f5f576bf-0b85-4a16-bddf-704b72f21cab
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    The Fugitive Slave Bill

    Written by
    United States Congress, American, founded 1789
    Subject of
    Fillmore, Millard, American, 1800 - 1874
    Burns, Anthony, American, 1834 - 1862
    Sims, Thomas, American, born ca. 1834
    Date
    1854
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W: 9 x 6 in. (22.9 x 15.2 cm)
    Caption
    This printing of the Fugitive Slave Bill was sponsored by anti-slavery groups as a protest against the new law that required local and state authorities to assist slave owners in retrieving slaves.
    Description
    Booklet of yellowed paper and black text. Title reads "THE FUGITIVE SLAVE BILL ENACTED BY THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS." The entire bill is 8 pages, seven of which are printed with bold black mourning borders. The rear cover features a reproduction of an engraving with the caption, "The Boston Police executing the infamous law, in the case of Simms, who was delivered into the hands of the oppressor, between the hours of moon-setting and sun-rising, in 1851." The illustration on the back cover consists of a captured man being carried down the steps of a building by two armed men. The building is surrounded by rows of armed men and two dogs are facing off against each other in the foreground.
    Place printed
    Boston, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Movement
    Abolitionist movement
    Type
    bills (legislative records)
    Topic
    Antislavery
    Free communities of color
    Fugitive enslaved
    Law
    Politics (Practical)
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2012.46.5
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5a28aa2c3-f9ee-45f4-b9f4-499214ecaccd
  • I Can't Breathe (Water Table)

    Created by
    Dyson, Torkwase, American, born 1970
    Subject of
    Brown, Henry Box, American, 1815 - 1897
    Date
    2018
    On View
    Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
    Exhibition
    Visual Art and the American Experience
    Medium
    acrylic paint on canvas with wood and wire
    Dimensions
    H x W x D: 96 × 72 × 2 in. (243.8 × 132.9 × 5.1 cm)
    Caption
    The Water Table series is conceived as a latter to Henry "Box" Brown (c. 1815-1897), an enslaved African American who escaped to freedom by shipping himself in a crate from Virginia to Philadelphia. The paintings in this series are visual deconstructions of natural and built environments that consider how individuals negotiate and negate various types of systems and spatial order.
    Description
    An acrylic painting on cotton canvas with a grey background. Centrally depicted three distinct shapes created with various brushstrokes. On each side of the canvas is a bright cloudy white cube. Bright and wide brushstrokes of red and white impasto feature strongly at the top middle and right of the canvas, while the same white and red impasto features minimally at the top and bottom of the canvas. The painting was executed primarily in thin, horizontal washes, which resulted in the layering of numerous vertical drips. Occasional passages of thick impasto are present throughout.
    Place made
    New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
    Portfolio/Series
    Water Table
    Classification
    Visual Arts
    Type
    paintings
    Topic
    Art
    Fugitive enslaved
    Self-liberation
    Transportation
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2018.77
    Restrictions & Rights
    © Torkwase Dyson
    Usage
    Usage conditions apply
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5ccceab11-6dc7-40d0-bac3-603a2b6894ec
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    Affidavit of apprehension of Moses, property of Edward Rouzee

    Owned by
    Rouzee Family, American
    Date
    April 2, 1830
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    L x W: 12 1/2 x 8 in. (31.8 x 20.3 cm)
    Caption
    This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
    Description
    A payment receipt and affidavit drafted by Thomas Wright Jr, justice of the peace, regarding an enslaved man named Moses. The document states that Robert M. Callip of Essex county apprehended Moses, property of Edward Rouzee of Essex County, two and one-half (2 1/2) miles away from the Rouzee plantation. The one page, single-sided document is handwritten in black ink. Below the text to the right is the ornate signature of Thomas Wright, Jr. Below the text to the left is the calculation of the money owed, five dollars ($5.00) for the apprehension plus twenty-five cents ($0.25) for the distance, totaling five dollars and twenty-five cents ($5.25). The paper has a small notch torn at the top left. The paper has been folded twice vertically and once horizontally. On the reverse is written "Magistrate Certificate respecting Moses a Runaway."
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place made
    Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Portfolio/Series
    Rouzee Family Papers
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents
    Type
    financial records
    legal documents
    Topic
    Agriculture
    Business
    Finance
    Freedom
    Fugitive enslaved
    Law
    Men
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family
    Object number
    2011.104.12
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd596a49c3f-7efe-4582-ab7a-e5c4d6f19152
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    Payment receipt for apprehending Braxton, property of Edward Rouzee

    Owned by
    Rouzee Family, American
    Date
    September 16, 1829
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    L x W: 8 1/2 x 8 in. (21.6 x 20.3 cm)
    Caption
    This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
    Description
    A one page legal document drafted by hand in ink by Richard Rouzee, Justice of the Peace for Essex County, Virginia, granting payment to Silas Goulding of Essex County for apprehending the enslaved man "Braxton," believed to be the property of Edward Rouzee. Braxton was found on the plantation of Robert P. Waring. At the bottom left of the document is the calculation that $5.00 be paid to Goulding for apprehension and an additional $0.60 for the distance of six miles between the place of apprehension and the plantation of Edward Rouzee. At the bottom right is the elaborate signature of Richard Rouzee. The document is dated September 16, 1825.
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place made
    Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Portfolio/Series
    Rouzee Family Papers
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents
    Type
    financial records
    legal documents
    Topic
    Agriculture
    Business
    Finance
    Freedom
    Fugitive enslaved
    Law
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family
    Object number
    2011.104.2
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5cf172e47-4680-48eb-a165-0b8a1e6bfb06
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    Affidavit of apprehension of James and John, property of Harriot Rouzee

    Owned by
    Rouzee Family, American
    Date
    August 23, 1817
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    L x W: 10 x 8 in. (25.4 x 20.3 cm)
    Caption
    This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
    Description
    This document is an affidavit of capture of the enslaved men James and John, owned by Mrs. Harriot Rouzee of Essex County, Virginia. The men were apprehended by "S.Lang[illegible] Jones" in Caroline County, Virginia. At the bottom right is the signature of the justice of the peace for Caroline County, George J. Hord. The bottom left is the calculation of the fee to be paid to Jones, including the two (2) dollars for the apprehension and ten (10) cents for every mile of conveyance. The document consists of a single page, handwritten in black ink. The ink has bled and smudged heavily througout the document and there is a small loss to the page at the upper right corner.
    Transcription Center Status
    Transcribed by digital volunteers
    Place made
    Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
    Caroline County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Portfolio/Series
    Rouzee Family Papers
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents
    Type
    financial records
    legal documents
    Topic
    Agriculture
    Business
    Finance
    Freedom
    Fugitive enslaved
    Law
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family
    Object number
    2011.104.30
    Restrictions & Rights
    Public domain
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5c53c1559-5c10-4b74-a2fe-1ebc09a0cb3b
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    The Daily Picayune

    Published by
    The Daily Picayune, American, 1837 - 1914
    Date
    July 10, 1856
    Medium
    ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W: 21 1/8 × 32 1/4 in. (53.7 × 81.9 cm)
    Description
    This newspaper is the July 10, 1856, edition of The Daily Picayune of New Orleans, Louisiana. The newspaper includes advertisements for purchasing ready made clothing, including clothing for enslaved people. There are numerous advertisements offering rewards for the capture of enslaved men and women who have escaped, particularly numerous on the fourth page, but also listed elsewhere in the advertisements. The rewards range from ten dollars to two hundred dollars. Each of the notices are marked with a small illustrated figure of a male or female runaway slave caricature. There are also advertisements for the hiring of enslaved persons.
    Place printed
    New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
    Type
    newspapers
    Topic
    Advertising
    American South
    Business
    Clothing and dress
    Fugitive enslaved
    Labor
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2014.174.5
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5c50d4aca-83e8-4024-a9b7-cb441641792f
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    The Justices' Practice Under the Laws of Maryland

    Written by
    Latrobe, John, 1803 - 1891
    Published by
    Lucas Bros. Inc., founded 1804
    Date
    1861
    Medium
    ink on paper, leather, and bast fiber string
    Dimensions
    H x W x D (closed): 24 1/4 × 6 1/4 × 2 3/8 in. (61.6 × 15.9 × 6 cm)
    Description
    This book is a sixth edition of The Justices' Practice Under the Laws of Maryland; Including the Duties of a Constable, and also of a Coroner by John H. B. Latrobe. The book was published by Lucas Brothers of Baltimore in 1861. The volume is bound in light brown leather and is bound with a bast fiber string. Text is stamped on the inside of the front cover reading "WM. WARREN, / Baltimore County, Md." with an additional inscription on the following page.
    Place printed
    Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Liljenquist Family Collection
    Classification
    Documents and Published Materials
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Type
    books
    Topic
    Free communities of color
    Fugitive enslaved
    Law
    Race discrimination
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
    Object number
    2015.222.7
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd527e77c91-0f7d-420d-8baa-84f71cae113c
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    Ambrotype of Elisa Greenwell with handwritten note

    Photograph by
    Unidentified
    Subject of
    Greenwell, Elisa, American
    Date
    early 1860s
    Medium
    cased photograph (a): collodion and silver on glass photographic plates, with wood, papier-mâché, and metal case;
    note (b): ink on paper
    Dimensions
    H x W x D (a): 3 11/16 × 3 1/4 × 7/16 in. (9.4 × 8.3 × 1.1 cm)
    H x W (b): 3/4 × 2 13/16 in. (1.9 × 7.1 cm)
    Description
    A black-and-white photograph of Elisa Greenwell (a) accompanied by a handwritten paper note with identifying information (b). In the photograph, Greenwell is seated and faces the camera directly, with her right elbow propped on a table and both hands resting in her lap. Her hair is pinned up at the back of her head. She wears a light-colored dress with a large-scale plaid pattern, white lace collar and stock, and a dark-colored shawl draped over her shoulders. Her cheeks and lips are hand-tinted in a pinkish hue and a spot of gilt is placed over a pin worn at her center front neck. The ambrotype is housed in one half of a wooden case with a papier-mâché cover in a floral design and painted black. The glass plate is surrounded by a gold metal frame with an oval-shaped cut out. A metal hook for fastening the case to the missing lid is present on the right side of the case.
    The accompanying loose paper note (b) has handwritten text in black ink reading: "Elisa Greenwell resident of Philadelphia / runaway from the residence of / William Edelen of Leondardtown Md / in 1859". The reverse is blank.
    Place depicted
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
    Leonardtown, St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
    Classification
    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Media Arts-Photography
    Type
    ambrotypes
    portraits
    notes
    Topic
    Emancipation
    Freedom
    Fugitive enslaved
    Photography
    Resistance
    Self-liberation
    Slavery
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
    Object number
    2015.97.4ab
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    CC0
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5ca96c53c-089f-4b39-a61f-da88782e5972
National Museum of African American History and Culture
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1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560

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