Embedded Files
Black Abolitionists' Activism in Lowell
Document 21b: “A Wife Redeemed,” Letter from John N.H. Fountain, The Middlesex Standard, January 2, 1845
Document 21b: “A Wife Redeemed,” Letter from John N.H. Fountain, The Middlesex Standard, January 2, 1845
John N. H. Fountain, a free Black man came through Lowell in 1844 to raise funds to purchase his enslaved wife. The following article shares the news that he was able to emancipate his wife. This is a follow-up article, also published in the Middlesex Standard, to Document #21a. It informs residents about John Fountain’s efforts to emancipate his wife. It is addressed to William Lloyd Garrison, editor of The Liberator.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Algerine slavery: Referring to slavery in the north African country of Algeria. Controlled by the “Barbary Pirates,” enslavement here was particularly brutal for women who were sexually abused and taken as concubines
Garrison: William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist and publisher of The Liberator
Chattel: An item of property, in this case referring to African people being held in bondage (slavery)
Providence: Divine guidance or care
Transcript
Transcript
From the Liberator.
A Wife Redeemed.
The following letter, we presume, will be
read with gratification by those who generously contributed toward the purchase of Mr. Fountain’s wife, from a worse than Algerine slavery:
Philadelphia, Dec. 13, 1844.
Respected Friend Garrison, Permit me, through
your paper, to inform the many friends of humanity, particularly those who kindly contributed to aid me
in the redemption of my wife from slavery in Virgin-
ia, that I have succeeded in my object. She arrived
in Philadelphia on the 10th of December; and, not-
withstanding she is much broken by labor and dis-
tress the last year, since she began to breathe the air of the free states, she has sensibly revived, and in a short time will, it is thought, be perfectly restored.
Dear Sir, words are inadequate to express the gratitude that we feel to the people of Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, for their assistance in raising this one of God’s children from the condition of chattel to that of a human being. We think that, with the aid of Providence, we can take care of ourselves.
Yours, in behalf of bleeding humanity,
JNO. N.H. Fountain.
Text-Dependent Questions
Text-Dependent Questions
How does John Fountain describe his wife’s condition upon her arrival in Philadelphia? What reason does he give for her condition?
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
Read Documents 21a and 21b together. What larger stories can we tell about John Fountain, his wife, and abolitionists in Massachusetts by reading these two documents together?
Based on the dates in Documents 21a and 21b, what can you tell about how long it took for John Fountain to free his wife and be reunited with her?
Citation“A Wife Redeemed,” Letter from John N.H. Fountain, The Middlesex Standard, January 2, 1845. Center for Lowell History, Microfilm Collection
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