A Right to Speak: Formerly Enslaved People and the Political Antislavery Movement in Antebellum America

Abstract

By running away, fugitive slaves have long been recognized as important figures in exacerbating sectional tensions and sparking the Civil War. But the political impact of runaway and formerly enslaved people extended well beyond their absconding. This essay explores how their lives in and escapes from slavery pow-erfully influenced the growth of formal antislavery politics. Fugitive and former slaves, along with their white political allies, used their experiences of enslavement to build political opposition to slavery. Formerly enslaved men became vocal speak-ers for political abolitionist coalitions, convincing listeners to support antislavery politics. Women escapees from slavery, too, pushed white antislavery politicians to adopt more visceral political language. Former slaves’ political activism brought a humane dimension to antislavery politics, forcing the nation to see the political struggle against slavery through their eyes and experiences.