Higginson, Thomas Wentworth letter, 1859 November 16
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Summary
- Creator:
- Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911 and Baskin, Lisa Unger
- Abstract:
- Letter written by abolitionist Thomas Wentworth Higginson regarding an upcoming lecture entitled A Visit to the Family of John Brown.
- Extent:
- 0.1 Linear Feet (1 item)
- Language:
- Materials in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.11396
Background
- Scope and content:
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The collection consists of a single page autograph manuscript letter from abolitionist Thomas Wentworth Higginson to an unknown male correspondent. Wentworth writes that he has prepared a lecture called A Visit to the Family of John Brown. Sources indicate that Higginson had returned from visiting the Brown family in the Adirondacks on November 4th, 1859. He writes that no one else from Massachusetts has visited the Brown family that he's aware of, except for fellow abolitionist Franklin Benjamin Sanborn. He asks if the recipient would prefer this lecture to the one Higginson had previously prepared. This lecture was likely turned into a chapter in Higginson's 1898 book Contemporaries called A Visit to John Brown's Household in 1859.
- Biographical / historical:
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Thomas Wentworth Higginson was an American abolitionist, women's rights advocate, Unitarian Minister, writer, and Civil War soldier. A Massachusetts native, Higginson served in the first federally authorized black regiment. Higginson was one of the Secret Six, a group of abolitionists that raised money to support John Brown's planned slave insurrection at Harpers Ferry, Virginia that took place in December, 1859.
- Acquisition information:
- The Thomas Wentworth Higginson letter was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2015.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Megan E. Lewis, March, 2017
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2015-0050-LUBMSS250
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Abolitionists -- Massachusetts -- Correspondence
Anti-slavery movements -- United States -- History -- 19th century - Names:
- Lisa Unger Baskin Collection (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911
Brown, John, 1800-1859
Sanborn, F. B. (Franklin Benjamin), 1831-1917 - Places:
- Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) -- History -- John Brown’s Raid, 1859
Contents
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Thomas Wentworth Higginson letter, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.