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3 / “Stand Firm on the Platform of Truth”: Freedom of Assembly and Local Antislavery Organizations in the Old Northwest As a state we influence the west, the west influences our nation, and our nation the world. —the illinois anti-slavery convention of 1838 In 1843, the McLean County Anti-Slavery Society struggled to meet in Bloomington, Illinois. As elsewhere in the Old Northwest, activists there found that securing freedom of assembly was arduous, and involved substantial risk of violence. The Reverend Levi Spencer’s 1840s experiences illustrate immediate abolitionists’ difficulties in organizing in the region. At the 1843 Bloomington meeting, one hundred men armed with clubs prevented fifteen abolitionists from gathering in a church; they had to relocate to a private home. The anti-abolitionists followed, and while they did not enter the house, they did damage the building.1 With this persistent opposition, these community members openly demonstrated both their contempt for local abolitionists and their refusal to permit meetings that advocated ideas repugnant to them. Little community consensus existed on the appropriateness of antislavery and anti-prejudice organization in Bloomington, as elsewhere in the Old Northwest. Spencer had advocated abolition there for two years, but he had made little headway. He still found the extent of opposition dangerous and distressing. In 1844 Spencer and his allies tried to publicize another upcoming gathering, but most local ministers refused to read their announcement. Still, they met, and their opponents joined them in the meeting hall.2 The abolitionists peacefully began their meeting , but their adversaries interrupted Spencer’s address, throwing bricks and making noise. Spencer finished his speech regardless, and wrote in triumph of what he saw as the downfall of his antagonists, for they had asked permission for one of their number to speak. The abolitionists had “stand firm on the platform of truth” / 77 agreed, but unfortunately for their foes, the meeting had actually converted this man, Mr. Hunt, and he had embraced abolition. He stood, said so, and sat down. The gathering concluded quietly, which was one fleeting triumph for activists’ freedom of assembly and the persuasiveness of their message.3 The Spencer family’s problems nonetheless carried on for years, which indicates that abolitionists’ unpopular efforts to meet could have longterm consequences. The Spencers feared for their safety, and the constant threats they faced from their fellow citizens made them miserable. This continued to be a problem, and in 1846, local residents planned a public meeting to coordinate ejecting “the abolitionists” from town.4 As the prominent local organizer, Spencer remained a focal point for anti-abolitionist aggression. Other people in town held him accountable for disrupting their community. Among other incidents, in June 1846 a group of men he claimed were volunteers for the Mexican War attacked his house. This act of violence against the Spencer residence had its precedents in the Old Northwest, including the September 1841 raid on the house of John Rankin, antislavery minister of Ripley, Ohio.5 Spencer’s attackers threatened to burn down the building but refrained, and then tried to get him outside to tar and feather him. Upon failing to extract him, they threw eggs and bricks into the windows, inflicting substantial damage. These missiles forced Spencer’s family, including his elderly mother, to flee into the corners of the house and away from the broken glass. Spencer finally managed to get help from a neighbor in the wee hours of the morning, whereupon the men departed, not wanting more witnesses to their actions. The mob also attacked some of Spencer’s abolitionist neighbors, but they directed their main assault at the Reverend. The following night the military men departed, and Spencer claimed this restored quiet to the town. He identified many of his assailants (which he saw as consequently motivating some to leave Bloomington), but he opted not to prosecute, for reasons he kept to himself. He may have chosen not to confront his attackers in court, as he knew he was unlikely to face a jury of his peers when his views were so unpopular.6 The town eventually became a bit more tolerant of antislavery gatherings , despite the way Spencer’s neighbors made him a scapegoat for his unpopular ideas. The county antislavery society successfully held a meeting in Bloomington in April 1847. The change was minor, however, for that May the Justice of the Peace warned Spencer that he should not speak locally on abolition.7 By October of 1848, Spencer had [3.137...

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