Summary - Essays in this Section
Hampered by the lack of extent issues, and the perception that it was nothing more than a partisan organ, historians have overlooked the content and achievement of The Unionist that Charles and William edited for a little over a year. The actual accomplishments of the paper, as are documented here, were far-reaching, affecting the course of Northern public opinion concerning Abolition. The paper was also in the forefront of recognizing the philosophic and strategic possibilities of tactics of non-violence (in a union, so to say, of Quaker, secular, and perfectionist impulses in this direction). While the manifest intelligence and ethical strength of the Burleigh brothers is obvious enough in retrospect, it must have appeared as an unexpected comet in 1833-34. The tone and perspicacity of The Unionist helped convince the Connecticut Courant reporter covering the first trial to swing his reports to Crandall’s side. The choice of Charles Burleigh as editor brought one of the most important speakers, thinkers and writers firmly into the Garrisonian camp; the year after the school closure, he would be at William Lloyd Garrison’s side in Boston when Garrison was attacked by a mob! While Charles Burleigh never sought employment as a lawyer, he used the skills he had developed to become a fine debater. The arc from the odd story of his calling to the editorship of The Unionist by Samuel J. May, to the outstanding life he lived as a radical thinker and activist, demonstrates sufficiently the improbability of The Unionist.
For Further Reference
- Rycenga, Jennifer. Schooling a Nation: Students and Teachers at Prudence Crandall’s Female Academy. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, forthcoming 2024.
- Rycenga, Jennifer, Nick Szydlowski, et. al. The Burleigh Family of Plainfield, Connecticut: An Anti-Racist Abolitionist Legacy. Digital Humanities project, San José State University, forthcoming 2024-2025.
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