In Groton, Massachusetts, an intriguing discovery was made by Jennifer Cromack while she sifted through the American Baptist archive. Among journals from the 18th and 19th centuries, she stumbled upon a slender box harboring a remarkably preserved scroll.
Upon closer inspection, the document, measuring five feet in length, was identified as a handwritten declaration entitled “A Resolution and Protest Against Slavery.” This pivotal piece was signed by 116 ministers from New England and was adopted on March 2, 1847. Before its unearthing in May at the archives, speculation loomed over the document’s whereabouts, with unsuccessful searches previously conducted at institutions like Harvard and Brown. In fact, the last confirmed sighting was in a historical text from 1902.
Cromack, a retired educator who now volunteers at the archive, expressed her elation upon the find. She emphasized the document’s significant message to both state and national audiences, highlighting its advocacy for safety and ethical treatment. This unique document provides a window into the burgeoning anti-slavery discourse that took root in the Northeast during the 19th century. Notably, it was penned fourteen years before the tumultuous Civil War, at a time when religious leaders began to increasingly denounce slavery.
The declaration emerges from a critical juncture in the Baptist church’s history, signed shortly after southern Baptists diverged from their northern counterparts to form the Southern Baptist Convention. This 1845 split resulted from the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society’s policy that barred slave owners from serving as missionaries. Eventually, the northern faction became American Baptist Churches USA.
Rev. Mary Day Hamel, the executive minister for the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts, reflected on the document’s deep roots in American history, emphasizing its connection to the Civil War era. She underscored the Massachusetts Baptists’ resolve in prioritizing justice at a formative time for the nation.
Deborah Bingham Van Broekhoven, former executive director of the American Baptist Historical Society, noted that many in the North were ambivalent or hesitant about taking a stand against slavery. At the time, the common sentiment was that the issue was solely a southern affair. The ministers’ bold statement thus represented a significant break from the past, taking diplomatic steps yet standing firmly against the injustice.
The document itself testifies to the ministers’ aspiration for a self-initiated reform among slaveholders, expressing disappointment over movements that justified or prolonged the institution of slavery. It unapologetically proclaims the ministers’ duty to both oppressors and the oppressed, and articulates a deep-seated abhorrence for the system of American slavery, describing it as fundamentally unjustifiable and detrimental.
The Rev. Diane Badger, alongside the Rev. John Odams, has worked to compile a comprehensive list of signatories, using spreadsheet data to connect the ministers to their respective churches. Among the signers were notable figures like Nathaniel Colver of the now Tremont Temple Baptist Church and Baron Stow, a member of the anti-slavery society.
Badger is not only preserving the document but also capturing its essence digitally to potentially share with Massachusetts’ 230 American Baptist churches. She continues to delve into the history, questioning which names were conspicuously absent from the declaration.
Rev. Kenneth Young of the Calvary Baptist Church in Haverhill, founded by freed Blacks in 1871, hailed the discovery as motivational. He praised the foresight of the ministers in advocating freedom, aligning with the broader abolitionist movement battling systemic racism.