Slavery Opposed

Slavery Opposed. New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. , In the late 1700s New Bedford's first Congregational Church (illustrated here) stood diagonally across the street at the corner of William and Purchase Streets. In 1838 the church became Liberty Hall. Its first floor was converted into shops and its upper floors became an auditorium and meeting rooms. Within these upper rooms, prominent abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison spoke to approving New Bedford audiences for the abolishment of slavery., With the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law and the successful rescue escape of runaway slave Shadrach Minkins from a Boston courtroom in 1851, New Bedford abolitionists remained alert. They feared authorities would try to capture fugitive slaves in refuge here. Upon spotting a strange vessel in the city's harbor, Rodney French rang Liberty Hall's bell to warn fugitives. Though the raid never occurred, French and the bell became legendary.,

The only true remedy for the extension of slavery, is the immediate abolition of slavery. , Frederick Douglass in The Clarion Voice by John W. Blassingame

, [Captions:] , Frederick Douglass fled from slavery in 1838 and settled in New Bedford. He attended a lecture at Liberty Hall in 1839 presented by William Lloyd Garrison., When an 1854 fire destroyed Liberty Hall and melted its bell, miniature bells were made from the molten remains. At least one bell survived in the family of Rodney French.