Letter from Lewis Hayden, Boston, to C.H. Morse, Esq., 1853 October 29

Résumé du livre

A signed letter from Lewis Hayden (1811 or 1815-1889) to Charles Henry Morse (1818-1882) dated October 20, 1853. Hayden begins by pointing out the irony of requesting an letter from him, when American slavery "by law or by practice forbids its pupils to write, speak, or think." He speaks of his efforts to rise above the dehumanizing objectives of slavery. "I took the liberty God ordained for me as for all other men in 1844," he writes, and then continues on to note how his current business and supporting his family "which I took with me out of Slavery" now keeps him busy, along with his participation in extensive reform efforts aimed to "hasten the redemption of man." He closes with: "The wasted part of my life I charge to the oppressor, the rest I will spend in such vindication of my manhood that whoever shall remember me when I am dead shall acknowledge my efforts as coming from an determined will and an honest heart. The rest I leave to you and your coadjutors and successors and pledge my best prayer for your success."