Beriah Green facts for kids
Beriah Green Jr. (born March 24, 1795 – died May 4, 1874) was an important American reformer. He was a strong supporter of ending slavery and the temperance movement (which aimed to reduce alcohol use). He was also a college professor, a minister, and led the Oneida Institute. People said he was completely dedicated to his anti-slavery beliefs. One of his former students, Alexander Crummell, described him as a "kind-hearted man" and a "master-thinker."
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Early Life
Beriah Green was born in Preston, Connecticut. His father made cabinets and chairs. In 1810, his family moved to Pawlet, Vermont. He went to Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire and then graduated from Middlebury College in 1819. He was the top student in his class. He then studied to become a minister at Andover Theological Seminary. However, his religious ideas did not fully match any specific church's beliefs.
Career
Green started teaching at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, because he needed money. He later married Marcia Deming in 1821. In 1823, he became a pastor at a Congregational Church in Brandon, Vermont. His first wife died in 1826, and he married Daraxa Foote later that year.
In 1830, he became a professor at Western Reserve College and Preparatory School in Hudson, Ohio. This college was very respected, like a "Yale of the West," and aimed to be just as good as Yale University.
Speaking Out Against Slavery
In Ohio, Beriah Green met more African Americans than he had before. The college even started admitting African American students in 1832. Runaway slaves often passed through northeast Ohio on the Underground Railroad, a secret network helping them reach freedom in Canada.
Green was greatly influenced by William Lloyd Garrison, who started the newspaper The Liberator in 1831. This newspaper strongly argued for immediately freeing all slaves without payment. Green started publishing his own sermons and writings, which helped spread his influence.
At the time, some people supported the American Colonization Society (ACS). This group wanted to send free Black people to Africa. However, many free Black Americans were against this idea. They felt they were Americans and did not want to move to Africa.
The debate about slavery became very strong at Western Reserve College. The college president, Charles Backus Storrs, had once supported sending Black people to Africa. But after reading Garrison's newspaper, he changed his mind and became an abolitionist.
In 1832, a famous abolitionist named Theodore Dwight Weld visited Western Reserve. Soon after, Green began preaching against slavery from the college's pulpit. For four Sundays in a row, he spoke out against the American Colonization Society. This made many people, including some college leaders, very angry.
His Four Sermons on Slavery
Green's four sermons in late 1832 were a very important moment. He believed that Black people were equal to white people. He said that prejudice against them was wrong and based only on their skin color. These sermons caused a lot of discussion on campus. Some people even walked out of his sermons.
Green published these sermons as a pamphlet. The college president and another professor, Elizur Wright, confirmed that the published sermons were what Green had preached. They also said that Green's ideas were "scriptural" (based on the Bible) and necessary.
These sermons became famous across the country. They helped lead to the creation of the American Anti-Slavery Society the next year. Beriah Green was chosen as its first president.
Leading the Oneida Institute
In 1833, Green left Western Reserve and became the president of the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York. He agreed to take the job only if he could preach for the immediate end of slavery and accept African American students.
As president, Green made big changes. The Oneida Institute accepted more African American students than any other college during the 1830s and 1840s. Green believed that Black and white students should not be in separate schools. This made Oneida a key place for abolitionist activities. Many future Black leaders and abolitionists studied there, including Alexander Crummell, Henry Highland Garnet, and Jermain Wesley Loguen.
Green became very good friends with Gerrit Smith, another abolitionist. They wrote many letters to each other, and much of what we know about Green comes from these letters. They worked together to end slavery.
Green was the first president of the American Anti-Slavery Society, which started in 1833 in Philadelphia. He was known for arguing against people who used the Bible to defend slavery.
In 1835, Green and his friend Alvan Stewart organized a meeting for a new anti-slavery society in Utica, New York. However, a mob of people who were against abolitionists broke up the meeting. So, the group moved to Gerrit Smith's hometown, Peterboro, New York, to continue their meeting.
End of the Oneida Institute
The Panic of 1837, a big economic crisis, hurt the Oneida Institute badly. Its financial supporters lost their money. Green also started to lose support from conservative church members because of his strong anti-slavery views.
In 1844, the Oneida Institute had to be sold because of money problems. After the college closed, Green became a supporter of the Liberty Party. This was a political party focused entirely on ending slavery. When the party didn't succeed much in politics, Green became disappointed with the democratic system.
Green did not travel much from Whitesboro in his later years. He supported his family by farming and preaching to small groups of abolitionists. He died on May 4, 1874, while giving a speech about temperance in Whitesboro.
What People Thought of Green
His student William E. Allen said Green was a "profound scholar" and a "sincere and devoted Christian." He added that Green had the strength of a man and the gentleness of a woman.
Charles Stuart, another person who knew him, said that President Green worked tirelessly for the anti-slavery cause. He said Green was a man for tough situations and never backed down.
According to William Sernett, who wrote a book about Green, Green's strong personality and sometimes harsh words contributed to the Oneida Institute's problems. Even though some people called him a "fanatic," he is better described as a "radical humanitarian." He gave up wealth, reputation, and friends for the cause of ending slavery.
Writings
- Books
- History of the Quakers (1823)
- Sermons and essays
- Published letters
- Letter to Theodore Dwight Weld, October 1832
- Letter to Simeon Jocelyn, November 5, 1832
