This article compares and contrasts the conceptualization and transnational circulation of abolit... more This article compares and contrasts the conceptualization and transnational circulation of abolitionist ideas in the mid-seventeenth century English Revolution and the late-eighteenth-century “Age of Atlantic Revolutions.” Our method stresses both continuity and change across time and Atlantic space in the multiple efforts republicans made to eradicate human bondage. In both the mid-seventeenth century and the late eighteenth century, major political revolutions informed the ideas and actions of those who opposed slavery. As revolutionary fervor spread in the late eighteenth century, conservatives reacted with repressive attempts to contain the radicalism that was spilling over into the closely guarded domain of economic enslavement.
"Thomas Paine frequently evoked discourses relating to the dissenting Protestant tradition as a m... more "Thomas Paine frequently evoked discourses relating to the dissenting Protestant tradition as a means to mobilize support for the American Revolution. His extensive reliance on religious language has been largely neglected in the historical writing on Common Sense and the resulting historiographical gap has developed for a number of reasons, including the common perception of Paine's own personal hostility toward revealed religion and a tendency for historians to become polarized between liberal and civic republican interpretations at the
expense of others."
American Historical Association (AHA) Annual Meeting , 2018
This paper explores the impact of eighteenth-century social philosophy on antislavery thought in ... more This paper explores the impact of eighteenth-century social philosophy on antislavery thought in the early United States. Enlightenment theories related to social environment and human nature significantly influenced abolitionist efforts across the Atlantic world. While environmentalism, as a number of historians have observed, provided an intellectual basis for a potent critique of racism, it also encouraged moderation when it came to policy. For some, the formerly enslaved were considered unfit for political participation in the republic, not because of their race, but due to the corrupting and degrading effects of bondage. To be enslaved was to be treated as a criminal and some feared that former slaves would act as such upon being released. Interestingly, debates over the proper punishment of convicted criminals and their reintegration into society intersected with those regarding slavery and emancipation. The most radical conceptualizations of both emancipation and incarceration were grounded in a respect for the individual conscience and an understanding of human nature and natural rights that transcended social environment. Some advocates of these approaches were emboldened by the democratic politics of the early 1790s. I argue that a conservative reaction to the political culture of the French Revolution and its perceived violent excesses (especially the rebellion in Saint-Domingue and the Jacobin Terror) served to divide the nascent abolitionist movement. Anti-slavery and anti-racist radicalism was frequently attacked for its disordering potential and conservatives drew on the intellectual resources of the moderate Enlightenment to justify gradualism or inaction.
The Newberry Library: American Political Thought Seminar, 2017
Slavery has a long history in New York, beginning with the first Dutch settlements and persisting... more Slavery has a long history in New York, beginning with the first Dutch settlements and persisting well into the nineteenth century. Antislavery activity in the region existed from the outset. Following the Revolutionary War, abolitionist efforts reflected both the urgency of the moment and the fragility of the new Republic. Tensions flared within a diverse movement that included not only elite foes like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr but also lesser-known figures, both black and white, fighting bondage from below.
Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice: Brown University , 2017
The cause of antislavery in the early United States brought together even bitter political oppone... more The cause of antislavery in the early United States brought together even bitter political opponents such as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, for a time, but partisanship stifled radical challenges to the institution of slavery by the late 1790s. The politicization of antislavery activity during this period undermined black political participation and encouraged excessive gradualism. Enslavement, even in the North, was therefore allowed to persist well into the nineteenth century.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Lapidus Fellows Lecture , 2016
Antislavery activity in New York was profoundly affected by late-eighteenth-century revolutions i... more Antislavery activity in New York was profoundly affected by late-eighteenth-century revolutions in France, the Caribbean, and around the globe. Tensions flared within a movement that included not only elite foes like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, but also lesser-known figures, both black and white, fighting bondage from below.
This article compares and contrasts the conceptualization and transnational circulation of abolit... more This article compares and contrasts the conceptualization and transnational circulation of abolitionist ideas in the mid-seventeenth century English Revolution and the late-eighteenth-century “Age of Atlantic Revolutions.” Our method stresses both continuity and change across time and Atlantic space in the multiple efforts republicans made to eradicate human bondage. In both the mid-seventeenth century and the late eighteenth century, major political revolutions informed the ideas and actions of those who opposed slavery. As revolutionary fervor spread in the late eighteenth century, conservatives reacted with repressive attempts to contain the radicalism that was spilling over into the closely guarded domain of economic enslavement.
"Thomas Paine frequently evoked discourses relating to the dissenting Protestant tradition as a m... more "Thomas Paine frequently evoked discourses relating to the dissenting Protestant tradition as a means to mobilize support for the American Revolution. His extensive reliance on religious language has been largely neglected in the historical writing on Common Sense and the resulting historiographical gap has developed for a number of reasons, including the common perception of Paine's own personal hostility toward revealed religion and a tendency for historians to become polarized between liberal and civic republican interpretations at the
expense of others."
American Historical Association (AHA) Annual Meeting , 2018
This paper explores the impact of eighteenth-century social philosophy on antislavery thought in ... more This paper explores the impact of eighteenth-century social philosophy on antislavery thought in the early United States. Enlightenment theories related to social environment and human nature significantly influenced abolitionist efforts across the Atlantic world. While environmentalism, as a number of historians have observed, provided an intellectual basis for a potent critique of racism, it also encouraged moderation when it came to policy. For some, the formerly enslaved were considered unfit for political participation in the republic, not because of their race, but due to the corrupting and degrading effects of bondage. To be enslaved was to be treated as a criminal and some feared that former slaves would act as such upon being released. Interestingly, debates over the proper punishment of convicted criminals and their reintegration into society intersected with those regarding slavery and emancipation. The most radical conceptualizations of both emancipation and incarceration were grounded in a respect for the individual conscience and an understanding of human nature and natural rights that transcended social environment. Some advocates of these approaches were emboldened by the democratic politics of the early 1790s. I argue that a conservative reaction to the political culture of the French Revolution and its perceived violent excesses (especially the rebellion in Saint-Domingue and the Jacobin Terror) served to divide the nascent abolitionist movement. Anti-slavery and anti-racist radicalism was frequently attacked for its disordering potential and conservatives drew on the intellectual resources of the moderate Enlightenment to justify gradualism or inaction.
The Newberry Library: American Political Thought Seminar, 2017
Slavery has a long history in New York, beginning with the first Dutch settlements and persisting... more Slavery has a long history in New York, beginning with the first Dutch settlements and persisting well into the nineteenth century. Antislavery activity in the region existed from the outset. Following the Revolutionary War, abolitionist efforts reflected both the urgency of the moment and the fragility of the new Republic. Tensions flared within a diverse movement that included not only elite foes like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr but also lesser-known figures, both black and white, fighting bondage from below.
Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice: Brown University , 2017
The cause of antislavery in the early United States brought together even bitter political oppone... more The cause of antislavery in the early United States brought together even bitter political opponents such as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, for a time, but partisanship stifled radical challenges to the institution of slavery by the late 1790s. The politicization of antislavery activity during this period undermined black political participation and encouraged excessive gradualism. Enslavement, even in the North, was therefore allowed to persist well into the nineteenth century.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Lapidus Fellows Lecture , 2016
Antislavery activity in New York was profoundly affected by late-eighteenth-century revolutions i... more Antislavery activity in New York was profoundly affected by late-eighteenth-century revolutions in France, the Caribbean, and around the globe. Tensions flared within a movement that included not only elite foes like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, but also lesser-known figures, both black and white, fighting bondage from below.
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