19th Century Anti-Black Sentiment
by Sue Roman
Even as the institution of slavery waned in Connecticut, anti-Black sentiment remained strong. In the early 19th century, the majority of Connecticut residents were still pro-slavery. They didn’t want the population of free Blacks in the state to grow. Many masters tried to sell their slaves out of state. They sold them to Canada, especially Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Free Blacks also fled the state.
The Constitution of 1818 stated that Blacks couldn’t vote in Connecticut. Free Blacks were forbidden to bear arms or serve in militias.
In 1820 the Connecticut Colonization Society was formed with the hopes of sending Blacks out of the state. The president of Wesleyan College was a leader of it. He wrote: “African Colonization is predicated on the principle that there is an utter aversion in the public mind to an amalgamation and equalization of the two races; and that any attempt to press such equalization is not only fruitless, but injurious.”
In 1833 a “Black Law” was passed by the General Assembly which made it illegal to educate Blacks from out of state. This law was aimed at Prudence Crandall who integrated her boarding school for girls in Canterbury. The underlying motivation was to keep free Blacks from moving to Connecticut.
In the 1830s there was a pattern of anti-Black and anti-abolitionist violence in the area. In 1837 an anti-slavery minister was set to speak at the Baptist church in Danbury. An armed mob drove him away. When he returned to speak a bomb blew up the church.
In 1835 Connecticut passed a Fugitive Slave Law which said that any slave who escaped to Connecticut would be delivered back to his or her owner.
Anti-slavery sentiment did develop in the state. In 1838 the General Assembly struck down the Black Law and passed stronger personal liberty laws protecting Blacks.
There was strong anti-slavery actions in some parts of Western Connecticut, but not in Newtown. Wilton was a well-known stop on the Underground Railroad. There were several stations in New Milford. Frederick Gunn who started the Gunnery in Washington ran a station. Torrington was also a center of anti-slavery sentiment and it was the birthplace of abolitionist John Brown.
In Newtown it is thought that James Purdy had a station on the Underground Railroad, and Purdy Station Road off of Hattertown Road is named for him. Purdy was a free Black living in Newtown. He married a Paugussett Indian and was connected to the Golden Hill Paugussetts in Bridgeport.
Blacks became free in Connecticut at a time when there was a surplus of White labor. Skilled Blacks had difficulty finding work because of anti-Black racism. They had more chance of being employed while a slave because of the clout of their owner. Once on their own, White tradesmen kept them from getting work.
In Newtown free Blacks were laborers on farms, shepherds, coopers, basket makers and one was a butcher. They often lived with the families they worked for. Some bought property and built houses. It was difficult for them to get loans to start businesses. They could get mortgages on property they already owned. That led to some of them losing their property when they were unable to pay back the loans.
Free Blacks intermarried with Indians in the area. Until 1870 Blacks, Indians, and Mulattos were all classified as “colored” in the US census. In 1830 there were 116 “colored people” in Newtown, which was almost 4% of the population. This number remained steady until the Civil War.
The Constitution of 1818 stated that Blacks couldn’t vote in Connecticut. Free Blacks were forbidden to bear arms or serve in militias.
In 1820 the Connecticut Colonization Society was formed with the hopes of sending Blacks out of the state. The president of Wesleyan College was a leader of it. He wrote: “African Colonization is predicated on the principle that there is an utter aversion in the public mind to an amalgamation and equalization of the two races; and that any attempt to press such equalization is not only fruitless, but injurious.”
In 1833 a “Black Law” was passed by the General Assembly which made it illegal to educate Blacks from out of state. This law was aimed at Prudence Crandall who integrated her boarding school for girls in Canterbury. The underlying motivation was to keep free Blacks from moving to Connecticut.
In the 1830s there was a pattern of anti-Black and anti-abolitionist violence in the area. In 1837 an anti-slavery minister was set to speak at the Baptist church in Danbury. An armed mob drove him away. When he returned to speak a bomb blew up the church.
In 1835 Connecticut passed a Fugitive Slave Law which said that any slave who escaped to Connecticut would be delivered back to his or her owner.
Anti-slavery sentiment did develop in the state. In 1838 the General Assembly struck down the Black Law and passed stronger personal liberty laws protecting Blacks.
There was strong anti-slavery actions in some parts of Western Connecticut, but not in Newtown. Wilton was a well-known stop on the Underground Railroad. There were several stations in New Milford. Frederick Gunn who started the Gunnery in Washington ran a station. Torrington was also a center of anti-slavery sentiment and it was the birthplace of abolitionist John Brown.
In Newtown it is thought that James Purdy had a station on the Underground Railroad, and Purdy Station Road off of Hattertown Road is named for him. Purdy was a free Black living in Newtown. He married a Paugussett Indian and was connected to the Golden Hill Paugussetts in Bridgeport.
Blacks became free in Connecticut at a time when there was a surplus of White labor. Skilled Blacks had difficulty finding work because of anti-Black racism. They had more chance of being employed while a slave because of the clout of their owner. Once on their own, White tradesmen kept them from getting work.
In Newtown free Blacks were laborers on farms, shepherds, coopers, basket makers and one was a butcher. They often lived with the families they worked for. Some bought property and built houses. It was difficult for them to get loans to start businesses. They could get mortgages on property they already owned. That led to some of them losing their property when they were unable to pay back the loans.
Free Blacks intermarried with Indians in the area. Until 1870 Blacks, Indians, and Mulattos were all classified as “colored” in the US census. In 1830 there were 116 “colored people” in Newtown, which was almost 4% of the population. This number remained steady until the Civil War.
Sources Used:
Cruson, Daniel, The Slaves of Central Fairfield County : the Journey from Slave to Freeman in Nineteenth-Century Connecticut, History Press, 2007.
Greene, Lorenzo J., The Negro in Colonial New England: 1620-1776, Columbia University Press, 1942.
Hardesty, Jared Ross, Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds: A History of Slavery in New England, University of Massachusetts Press, 2019.
Roth, David Morris, Connecticut: A History, W. W. Norton & Company, 1979.
Strother, Horatio T., The Underground Railroad in Connecticut, Wesleyan University Press, 1962.
Cruson, Daniel, The Slaves of Central Fairfield County : the Journey from Slave to Freeman in Nineteenth-Century Connecticut, History Press, 2007.
Greene, Lorenzo J., The Negro in Colonial New England: 1620-1776, Columbia University Press, 1942.
Hardesty, Jared Ross, Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds: A History of Slavery in New England, University of Massachusetts Press, 2019.
Roth, David Morris, Connecticut: A History, W. W. Norton & Company, 1979.
Strother, Horatio T., The Underground Railroad in Connecticut, Wesleyan University Press, 1962.