Eli Nichols letter to Benjamin Lundy, March 17th, 1839

Abstract

Friendly note from Eli Nichols to Benjamin Lundy covering topics in contemporary abolition, ranging from the social status of abolitionists to the oppression of the poor. Much of the letter concerns a review of contemporary social movements in equality-based education, including Shaker and Quaker communities. The letter concludes in discussion of Nichols' and Lundy's interest in forming a freed slave colony or community in then-Mexico, and describes the climate and culture of those regions in detail. Benjamin Lundy (1789-1839) was a prominent Quaker abolitionist best known for his development of abolitionist periodicals. His Genius of Universal Emancipation was first published in 1821 from his home in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, and enjoyed a wide circulation across the antebellum United States. In the 1820s, the young William Lloyd Garrison came to work for The Genius. Benjamin Lundy traveled widely seeking subscriptions to The Genius, giving talks about the anti-slavery movement, and observing and documenting the conditions of enslaved people across the Americas. He was also involved in the establishment of freed slave colonies in Mexico