Samuel Edmund Sewall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Edmund Sewall
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| Born | November 9, 1799 Boston, U.S.
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| Died | December 20, 1888 (aged 89) Boston, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Harvard College Harvard Law School |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Winslow (1836–50) Harriet Winslow (1857–88) |
| Children | Lucy Ellen Sewall Louisa Winslow Sewall |
Samuel Edmund Sewall (1799–1888) was an American lawyer who fought for important changes in society. He was an abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery. He was also a suffragist, which means he supported women's right to vote.
Samuel Sewall helped start the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in 1831. He used his legal skills to help people escape slavery through the Underground Railroad. He also served as a senator in Massachusetts for the Free Soil Party, a political group that opposed the spread of slavery.
He was involved in several important court cases that helped people who had escaped slavery. These included cases for George Latimer, Shadrach Minkins, and Thomas Sims. Sewall also worked hard to improve legal rights for women in Massachusetts. He was a descendant of a famous judge named Samuel Sewall.
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Early Life and Learning
Samuel Sewall was born in Boston on November 9, 1799. He was one of eleven children, but sadly, many of his brothers and sisters died young. Samuel and his older brother Thomas were the only ones who lived longer than their mother.
Samuel went to Phillips Exeter Academy and then to Harvard College when he was only 13 years old. He was a very good student and graduated in 1817. After that, he studied law at Harvard Law School and became a lawyer in 1821.
Working for Change
Samuel Sewall became a lawyer and also wrote articles about law. But he soon became very passionate about ending slavery.
Fighting Against Slavery
Samuel Sewall's ancestor, Judge Samuel Sewall, was one of the first people in the colonies to speak out against slavery. He believed that no one should be owned by another person.
At first, Samuel E. Sewall was careful in his views on slavery. He thought it was wrong but wasn't sure it should end immediately. However, everything changed when he heard William Lloyd Garrison speak in 1830. Garrison convinced him that slavery should end right away.
Sewall helped fund The Liberator, an important anti-slavery newspaper. He also helped start the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. He and Garrison became friends, even though they sometimes disagreed on how to fight slavery.
As a lawyer, Sewall offered his help to the Anti-Slavery Society for free. He wrote legal papers, arguments, and articles for the Liberator. He also encouraged other abolitionists to join the cause.
Over time, Sewall's belief in ending slavery grew even stronger. In 1851, he wrote that it was better for slaveholders or slave hunters to be harmed than for someone to be forced back into slavery. He believed people had a right to fight for their freedom.
Helping Escaped Slaves
Samuel Sewall took on many important cases to help people who had escaped slavery.
In 1836, he helped Eliza Small and Polly Ann Bates, two women who had escaped. He argued that they should be set free, and the judge agreed. When others tried to arrest the women again, people in the courtroom helped them escape to safety. This event became known as the Abolition Riot of 1836.
Later that month, Sewall helped a six-year-old girl named Med Slater. She had traveled to Boston from New Orleans. Sewall argued that because the Massachusetts constitution banned slavery, Med was free as soon as she entered the state. The court agreed, and Med was not sent back to New Orleans.
Sewall was the main lawyer for George Latimer in 1842. When they lost the case, Sewall and others bought Latimer's freedom. He also helped defend Daniel Drayton, a ship captain accused of helping slaves escape.
In 1851, Sewall worked on the case of Shadrach Minkins. When a judge refused to release Minkins, members of the Boston Vigilance Committee rescued him. Minkins then escaped to Canada with help from the Underground Railroad. That same year, Sewall tried to help Thomas Sims, who had escaped from Georgia. This was one of the first cases to challenge the new Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Sadly, Sims was sent back to Georgia.
In 1854, after Anthony Burns was arrested, Sewall led a meeting at Faneuil Hall. During the meeting, some abolitionists tried to free Burns from the courthouse.
Sewall also helped raise money for the family of John Brown, a famous abolitionist. He also worked to free Thaddeus Hyatt, who was jailed for refusing to testify about his connection to John Brown.
Time in the Senate
In 1851, Samuel Sewall was elected to the Massachusetts state senate. He was part of the Free-Soil Party. While in office, he led the committee that dealt with legal matters.
He introduced a very short bill that became law: "Aliens may take, hold, convey, and transmit real estate." This meant people from other countries could own land. He also tried to pass other important laws, even if they didn't pass right away. He wanted to:
- Allow people to testify in court no matter their religious beliefs.
- Make extreme cruelty a reason for divorce.
- End the death penalty.
- Protect the property of married women.
- Cancel the Fugitive Slave Law in Massachusetts.
After his term, he chose not to run again.
Supporting Women's Rights
Samuel Sewall strongly believed in equal rights for women. His wife, Harriet Winslow Sewall, even wrote a poem about him called "The Defender of Women."
He helped a woman who was wrongly sent to a mental hospital. She managed to send him a note asking for help, and he got her released. After this, he worked to change laws to make sure patients in mental hospitals were treated better. He also suggested adding women doctors to the staff, which later happened.
Sewall encouraged women who spoke out for reform, like Lucretia Mott and Sarah and Angelina Grimké. He supported Abby Kelley when some people didn't want her to have a big role in the American Anti-Slavery Society. He also supported medical schools for women, like the New England Female Medical College. His own daughter, Lucy, became a doctor.
Sewall wrote articles saying that women should be able to hold public office, serve on juries, and vote. He helped start the New England Woman Suffrage Association. In 1886, he wrote a paper called Legal Condition of Women in Massachusetts. He often went to the state legislature with Lucy Stone and Henry Browne Blackwell to push for changes. When women in Massachusetts got the right to vote in school elections, he wrote a guide to help them.
Personal Life and Family
In 1835, Samuel Sewall met Louisa Winslow. They married in 1836. Their first daughter, Lucy Ellen Sewall, was born in 1837 and became a successful doctor in Boston. Their second daughter, Louisa Winslow Sewall, was born in 1846.
Samuel's first wife, Louisa, died in 1850. Seven years later, he married her sister, Harriet Winslow List, who was a poet.
Samuel Sewall died on December 20, 1888, at the age of 89. His lifelong friend, the poet John Greenleaf Whittier, wrote a poem to remember him.
