2025 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Shortlist, 2025 Elise Marienstras - ReDEHJA Prize How children helped abolish slavery During the antebellum period, several abolitionist figures, including William Lloyd Garrison, the editor of the Liberator; Susan Paul, an African American primary school teacher; Henry Clarke Wright, a white reformer; and Frederick Douglass, the internationally renowned activist, consistently appealed to the sympathies of children against slavery. In 1835, Garrison proclaimed, "If . . . we desire to see our land delivered from the curse of PREJUDICE and SLAVERY, we must direct our efforts chiefly to the rising generation." This rallying cry found a receptive audience and ignited action. Despite their limited scholarly exploration, children occupied a crucial position within the US abolition movement. Through a reexamination of archival materials including antislavery newspapers, correspondence, and autobiographies, Young Abolitionists is the first book to center children's participation in the campaign to eradicate slavery in the United States. Michael Roy uncovers how young advocates--Black and white alike--confidently delivered antislavery speeches within their schools, enrolled in juvenile antislavery societies, and contributed to the editorial process of antislavery newspapers. They aided fugitive slaves, attended antislavery fairs, and engaged in activities commemorating John Brown's legacy. They even affixed their signatures to antislavery petitions, thus challenging the boundaries of their own citizenship. Abolitionists saw childhood as a force for social change. With the help of parents and teachers, children acted in concrete ways against slavery and made a meaningful contribution toward its demise. Young Abolitionists honors their contributions and reminds us that children can--and must--be included in the fight for a better world.
Industry Reviews
"[A] thoughtful, deeply researched book."-- "CHOICE" "[A] well-written, engaging, and important work."-- "American Nineteenth Century History" "A concise yet wide-ranging historical study that could not be timelier...Roy's well-researched contribution to antislavery scholarship is so accessible that it also serves as a primer for the history of childhood and the history of reform in the antebellum northern US. Clear prose and apt illustrations will prompt specialists and general readers alike to see the abolitionist movement with fresh eyes."--David N. Gellman, author of Liberty's Chain: Slavery, Abolition, and the Jay Family of New York "An exciting and compelling scholarly intervention, one that reframes our understanding of the abolitionist movement in the United States...Roy demonstrates that children were not simply passive recipients of antislavery dogma. Rather, they were young people with deeply considered political points of view who actively shaped the culture of the American abolitionist movement."--Erica L. Ball, author of To Live an Antislavery Life: Personal Politics and the Antebellum Black Middle Class "In this concise, well-researched, and engaging study, Michael Roy provides a definitive history of juvenile abolitionism. He explains why adult antislavery activists reached out to young people and documents the large number of Black and white children who joined juvenile antislavery societies, signed petitions, read abolitionist literature and tried to convert adults to the cause. In the process, these young activists ignited a debate over the political competence of minors that continues to resonate in today's youth movements for climate and racial justice. This is essential reading for those interested in the history of childhood and the history of social reform."-- "Corinne Field, author of The Struggle for Equal Adulthood: Gender, Race, Age and the Fight for Citizenship in Antebellum America" "Roy's work expands our understanding of the American antislavery movement."-- "Journal of the Early Republic" "Through a meticulous and skillful analysis of a wide range of historical and literary sources, and the inclusion of several striking portraits of child abolitionists, Roy gives voice and visibility to an inspiring and remarkable group of young antislavery activists."-- "Journal of Southern History" "With its elegantly written prose its comprehensive bibliography and index, its well-chosen illustrations and rich notes, this volume not only fully deserves the tributes of the scholarly community as it definitely breaks new ground in the study of abolitionism . . . [but] is also highly recommended reading for wider audiences."-- "e-Rea" "Young Abolitionists: Children of the Antislavery Movement makes a most welcome addition to the historiography of abolitionism."-- "Emerging Civil War" "Young Abolitionists puts together a compelling narrative of Black and white children's activism in the nineteenth century, providing new insights into the lives of oft-forgotten historical actors and enriching historians' understanding of how abolitionism spread across age groups. . . . It is a neatly structured monograph, making for smooth and stimulating reading."-- "Journal of the Civil War Era" "Young Abolitionists stands out as one of the best works on antislavery activism in recent years, not only for its original interpretations of well-known literary sources, but also for its use of underutilized archival materials"-- "American Quarterly" "Young Abolitionists succeeds in highlighting a dramatically understudied facet of both the history of childhood and the history of reform and abolitionism."-- "The Civil War Monitor" "[Young Abolitionists] provides a concise, accessible, and engrossing history of children's involvement in the antebellum American antislavery movement. . . . An illuminating, inspiring read."-- "American Literary History" "An illuminating new book... Young Abolitionists cleverly moves between imagined and historical children who are both in and out of the archives of abolition and antislavery."-- "Miranda" "An important read for those interested in the history of children and in the history of abolitionism in the United States... Young Abolitionists is a powerful addition to our understanding of this history."-- "American Historical Review" "Impeccably researched, Young Abolitionists is essential reading for anyone studying the antislavery movement. In addition to chronicling what adults thought about children's capacities, Roy reveals how both Black and White children imagined their own moral agency, and how they helped to both generate and propagate antislavery ideas, through their work as readers, contributors, editors, and organizers. In short, this book expands the intellectual history of antislavery ideas in the transatlantic world."--Anna Mae Duane, Educated for Freedom: The Incredible Story of Two Fugitive Schoolboys who Grew Up to Change a Nation "In this fascinating book, Michael Roy offers a rich history of children's engagement with antebellum American antislavery. . . . [Young Abolitionists is] a thought-provoking, revealing work. I will be incorporating multiple examples from Roy's work into my upcoming Civil War class."-- "Journal of American History"
