In the Shadow of Freedom: The Politics of Slavery in the National Capital

Gamaliel Bailey, Antislavery Journalist and Lobbyist

58 Stanley Harrold Gamaliel Bailey, Antislavery Journalist and Lobbyist In May 1846฀the฀American฀war฀against฀the฀Republic฀of฀Mexico฀began.฀ As฀American฀armies฀captured฀the฀Mexican฀provinces฀of฀New฀Mexico฀ and฀California฀and฀advanced฀deep฀into฀Mexico฀itself,฀increasing฀numbers฀of฀ northerners opposed the war. They were either abolitionists or antislavery members฀of฀the฀Whig฀party฀who฀feared฀southerners฀intended฀to฀extend฀ slavery฀into฀these฀lands,฀regarded฀the฀war฀as฀unjustly฀aggressive,฀and฀rejected฀ territorial expansion. Gamaliel Bailey, an abolitionist from Cincinnati, was among฀the฀war’s฀more฀outspoken฀opponents.฀In฀January฀1847 he became editor of the National Era—a new antislavery weekly newspaper published in Washington,฀where฀he฀continued฀to฀denounce฀the฀war.1 But in October of that year the Richmond Whig฀noticed฀that฀Bailey’s฀weekly฀had฀joined฀leading฀ proslavery฀Democratic฀newspapers฀in฀advocating฀the฀acquisition฀of฀more฀ territory from Mexico. The Whig commented,฀“We฀see฀but฀one฀Abolition฀ paper—and that is the National Era, recently established as the metropolitan organ฀and฀champion฀of฀the฀fanatics—and฀that฀paper฀is฀just฀as฀eager฀for฀ more territory, and for as much of it as possible, as the [Richmond] Enquirer and฀the฀[Washington]฀Union.”฀Bailey฀responded,฀“We฀certainly฀have฀no฀objection to more territory, provided it be acquired by peaceful and honorable cession, and then consecrated to Freedom, and we would as lief have it on 1 John H. Schroeder, Mr. Polk’s War: American Opposition and Dissent – (Madison, 1973); Cincinnati Weekly Herald and Philanthropist,฀Apr.฀29, May 20, June 10,฀Aug.฀12, 1846; National Era, Jan. 14, 28, Feb. 25, 1847. Gamaliel Bailey, Antislavery Journalist and Lobbyist 59 the฀South฀as฀on฀the฀North.”฀He฀then฀added฀mildly,฀“By฀the฀way,฀the฀Whig฀ will฀permit฀us฀to฀suggest฀that฀the฀frequent฀application฀of฀the฀epithet฀‘fanatics’฀ to฀Anti-Slavery฀citizens,฀is฀in฀bad฀taste,฀to฀say฀the฀least.”2 ฀ This฀relatively฀cordial฀exchange฀between฀Bailey฀and฀a฀radically฀proslavery ฀newspaper,฀aligned฀with฀John฀C.฀Calhoun,฀reflects฀two฀significant฀facts.฀ First,฀Bailey—who฀had฀been฀chosen฀to฀edit฀the฀Washington฀paper฀by฀leaders ฀of฀the฀American฀and฀Foreign฀Anti-Slavery฀Society฀and฀the฀northwestern฀ wing฀of฀the฀abolitionist฀Liberty฀party—was฀not฀a฀typical฀abolitionist.฀Second , proslavery southerners who disdained more radical antislavery papers, such฀as฀William฀Lloyd฀garrison’s฀Liberator,฀Joshua฀Leavitt’s฀Emancipator, and Frederick฀ Douglass’s฀ North Star,฀ read฀ Bailey’s฀ National Era. In fact, white southerners฀regarded฀the฀National Era as฀less฀threatening฀than฀Horace฀greeley ’s฀nonabolitionist฀New York Tribune.฀Bailey฀was฀therefore฀a฀good฀choice฀to฀ hold a journalistic outpost of northern abolitionism in the determinedly southern national capital. Many abolitionists wondered, however, if Bailey— seeking฀acceptance฀and฀survival—conceded฀too฀much฀to฀represent฀the฀cause฀ of the slave effectively and honorably. Bailey was born in Mount Holley, New Jersey, in December 1807. His father, Gamaliel Bailey, Sr., was a silversmith and itinerant Methodist minister .฀His฀mother,฀Sarah฀Page฀Bailey,฀belonged฀to฀a฀locally฀prominent฀family฀ that included several physicians. In 1816 the Baileys moved to Philadelphia, where฀young฀gamaliel฀developed฀what฀became฀a฀lifelong฀interest฀in฀literature . Nevertheless, practical considerations, as well as family tradition, led him฀to฀attend฀the฀city’s฀Jefferson฀Medical฀College,฀where฀he฀graduated฀in฀ 1828.฀Bailey,฀who฀was฀under฀average฀height฀and฀extremely฀thin,฀suffered฀ from฀poor฀health฀and฀physical฀breakdowns฀throughout฀his฀life.฀When฀one฀of฀ these฀episodes฀followed฀his฀graduation,฀he฀shipped฀as฀a฀seaman฀aboard฀a฀ China฀trader.฀Many฀nineteenth-century฀Americans฀assumed฀that฀sea฀voyages ฀were฀therapeutic.฀But฀Bailey฀had฀to฀assume฀duty฀as฀ship’s฀surgeon฀during ฀a฀cholera฀epidemic฀that฀spread฀among฀vessels฀at฀port฀in฀Canton,฀China.฀ While฀treating฀others,฀he฀contracted฀the฀disease฀himself.3 ฀ The฀suffering฀he฀observed฀and฀endured฀led฀Bailey฀during฀the฀long฀voyage฀ home฀to฀undergo฀a฀profound฀religious฀experience฀that฀made฀him฀a฀committed฀ 2 National Era, Oct. 28, 1847. 3 Stanley Harrold, Gamaliel Bailey and Antislavery Union (Kent, Ohio, 1986), pp. 1–4. 60 Stanley Harrold evangelical.4 When he returned to Philadelphia in 1830,฀the฀religious,฀social,฀ and moral controversies of the time drew him almost by happenstance into reform and into life on the border between the North and South. His father had become a leader in the new Methodist Protestant Church, which had its headquarters in Baltimore. Bailey went there in 1831 as the editor of the church’s฀ weekly฀ journal—the฀ Methodist...