March 2012
3 posts
Hiram Wilson in St. Catherines
Thus far the life of Hiram Wilson has been detailed regarding his activities as a Lane Rebel, an Oberlin seminarian, and as an aid in various parts of Southwestern Ontario, but one aspect of Wilson’s life has not been detailed, and that is his final years in St. Catherines, Ontario. Because of rising tension at the Dawn Settlement between Wilson as administrative official and, Josiah Henson...
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The Wilberforce Colony
The Wilberforce settle is a free black community that is notable to the time period with our class is studying in regards to the letters of Hiram Wilson and his abolition work in Canada and the United States. Named after the famous British abolitionist, William Wilberforce, the Wilberforce settlement was founded in 1829-1830 by free blacks from Cincinnati, but due to poor management the...
Hiram Wilson in Canada
Hiram Wilson was an active abolitionist and after the Slave-Debates at Lane Seminary he would enroll in Oberlin Seminary with some of the other “Lane Rebels.” As noted famous evangelist and revivalist Charles Finney was the Professor of Theology at Oberlin and would tutor Wilson. With his permission and blessing Wilson received twenty-five dollars and migrated north to Upper Canada in...
February 2012
5 posts
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The Amistad Research Centre
The source material that has provided a jumping-off point for our research, abolitionist Hiram Wilson’s letters, came to us via the Amistad Research Center. The Amistad Research Center, based out of Tulane University in New Orleans.
The Amistad Research center can find its roots in the American Missionary Association, which emerged from a group of abolitionists called The Amistad...
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Hirim Wilson: Lane Rebels, Oberlin Seminary and...
Hirim Wilson is a central figure in the research done by Huron University College’s Promise Land Project, specifically in the Historians Craft. Utilizing the skills necessary as a historian we have been continuing the transcription of his letters as well as placing his life in the context of African American history. A wonderfully short biography of Hirim Wilson is available at the Oberlin...
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Lane Rebels
The “Lane Rebels” were a group of about 50 students who revolted against the civil magistrate of Cincinnati, Ohio which prohibited antislavery agitation that was growing at Lane Theological Seminary. Oberlin College seized upon this opportunity and invited the rebels to join them. The result of this was both an agreement and the founding of Oberlin Theological Seminary with the famous...
Black History Month: Origins
Because the focus of our research is on abolition as well as the importance of African Americans throughout the month of February we will be making regular posts on Black History. It seems fitting that the first post relate to the history and origins of the annual event of Black History.
The origins of Black History Month begin with Black History Week which is credited to the son of a slave,...
January 2012
4 posts
7 tags
Our Visit to Oberlin College: Our Tour
On our trip to Oberlin in the fall, as well as visiting the archives, we had an opportunity to tour the the campus and surrounding area of Oberlin. This tour was a great starting point to our research, and provided a great opportunity to learn about the abolitionist roots of Oberlin College. We learned about such prominent figures as that contributed to the foundation of the college and seminary...
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Research at Oberlin
One of our first hands-on experiences with the practice of history was at the our trip to Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Oberlin College is important to our research because the archivist at the College provided us with the primary source documents for our research and transcription purposes. Our class’s relationship with the Oberlin College Archives is a reciprocal one, as they provide...
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Crafting History: An Introduction
The purpose of this blog will be to chronicle the research process of the students of History 3801 as we explore the abolitionist movement centred in Southwestern Ontario and the Northern United States, focusing on the letters of abolitonist Hiram Wilson and the establishment of the Wilberforce settlement.
This project is association with the Promised Land Project (PLP), and aims to be congruent...
