Ypsilanti, Michigan's Place in the Story of Abolitionism and the 'Underground Railroad'
Channel: Matthew Siegfried
Date: 2022-05-06

Ypsi’s Place in the Story of Abolitionism and the “Underground Railroad”Whether from rural “free” Black communities along the Ohio River Valley, as fugitives fleeing bondage, northerners leaving racist America, or as people who found freedom in a myriad of other ways, Black Ypsilanti was deeply involved in this country’s most important freedom movement; the struggle to abolish slavery. Join historian Matt Siegfried as we explore Ypsilanti’s place in the larger struggle against slavery, the abolitionist movement, and the “Underground Railroad.”

Among the many myths and misunderstandings is that abolitionism was predominantly a philanthropic movement among whites. To the contrary, the struggle was largely made up of, instigated and led by, Black people themselves. In the process of that struggle, Ypsilantians joined in a unique and shared experience of a common, diverse, cross-border community between southwest Ontario and southeast Michigan. Already before the Civil War, that community had generations of varied experiences of self-organization and self-determination.

We’ll look at anti-slavery societies, newspapers, meetings, activities and the sometime heated divisions in the movement, hoping to expose some myths along the way. We will look at Ypsi’s role through her early Black churches, individual and family stories, secret societies emanating from Detroit, and the connections of this area to the North Star communities in Canada, John Brown and the raid on Harpers Ferry.

White abolitionists and co-workers, including radical Quakers, on the Underground Railroad and freedom struggle were active in Ypsilanti and the Township since their beginnings. Some of them gave the better part of their lives to the struggle and engaged in heroic acts themselves. They were, however, despised and ridiculed, a tiny minority of white Washtenaw at the time. We’ll explore the racist, hostile, and sometimes violent, mainstream reaction to the activities of abolitionists, Black and white, including a discussion of Ypsilanti’s pro-slavery lawyer and politician, Lyman D Norris’ pivotal role in the Dred Scott case.

Recorded April 13th, 2021.