Saturday, March 25, 2017
Levi Coffin
Without amazing people like Levi Coffin along the underground railroad, there's no way it would have been as successful as it was. Levi Coffin is a really good example. He was a white abolitionist in Newport, Indiana who dedicated his life to the movement of escaped slaves along the underground railroad. He helped over three thousand directly, but beyond that he also was influential in the escape of thousands of others. He provided resources to other guides so they could help people along the path to freedom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Levi Coffin served as somewhat of a hero to fugitive slaves who needed to escape from the detriment of slavery. He served as both a resource and an outlet for the black community to reach out to.
Levi Coffin was a great man. He saved the lives of many through his work in the underground railroad. However, I can't help but wonder if slaves we're ever skeptical of him because he was white. They had been terrorized by whites, so I'm sure they weren't necessarily thrilled to reach out to one for help. I wonder if this kind of "reverse racism" actually occurred. Or if they blacks were so desperate that they trusted anybody.
I don't know that I would necessarily consider being skeptical "reverse racism". Racism implies oppression and using a negative opinion and stereotypes to oppress a group. Since the runaway slaves opinion of white people does not actually affect their lives it cannot be oppression.
Post a Comment