Warner Mifflin facts for kids

Warner Mifflin (born August 21, 1745 – died October 16, 1798) was an important American who fought against slavery. He was also one of the first people to suggest that formerly enslaved people should receive reparations, which means getting something back for the harm they suffered. Born in Virginia, Mifflin moved to Delaware in 1769. As a member of the Quakers, he strongly opposed slavery. He worked hard to help enslaved people gain their freedom, protected free Black individuals from unfair treatment, and encouraged both Quakers and others to free their slaves.

Early Life and Quaker Beliefs

Warner Mifflin was born in Accomack County, Virginia, in 1745. His family had been Quakers for a long time and owned many enslaved people. Even though he grew up on a plantation with enslaved people, young Warner felt it was wrong. He realized that the children he played with were not free.

When he was 14, Warner decided he would never own enslaved people. However, in 1767, he married Elizabeth Johns. Her family gave them a plantation in Kent County, Delaware, and several enslaved people as a wedding gift. Warner and Elizabeth joined the Duck Creek Quaker Meeting. Quakers were starting to speak out against slavery more strongly.

After Elizabeth passed away, Warner married Ann Emlen in 1788. She was also a Quaker who worked for social change. Warner had several children, with some surviving to adulthood.

Fighting for Freedom

Even though Warner had decided not to own slaves, it took time for him to act. The Quakers' main group, the Pennsylvania Yearly Meeting, started to push harder against slavery. Warner became convinced that owning people was a sin. He began freeing his own enslaved people in 1774. He also convinced his father to free the one hundred enslaved people on his family's farm in 1775.

An English abolitionist named Thomas Clarkson said that Warner Mifflin was the first person in America to free his slaves without any conditions. Warner even bought back five people he had sold earlier, just so he could free them too. He then hired these freed people to work on his farm and made sure their children could go to school.

By 1775, many Quakers in Delaware, inspired by Warner, started freeing their slaves. Warner traveled a lot to encourage other Quakers to follow these rules. He also encouraged non-Quakers, like John Dickinson, to free their enslaved people.

Peace Activism During War

During the American Revolutionary War, Warner Mifflin also became a leading Quaker who worked for peace. This was risky because some people thought Quakers were not loyal to America since they refused to fight. Warner traveled thousands of miles on horseback through many states to share his message of peace.

In 1777, he even went through British lines to meet with General George Washington during the Battle of Germantown. Warner refused to pay taxes that would support the war. Because of this, parts of his property were sometimes taken by sheriffs.

New Ideas for Justice

Warner Mifflin pushed the fight against slavery further than most people at the time. He was a pioneer in the idea that formerly enslaved people should receive reparations. This meant they should get money, land, or a share of crops to make up for the injustice they suffered.

He also started the Free Produce Movement. This idea encouraged people not to buy or use any products made by enslaved labor. Warner even arranged for groups of formerly enslaved people to visit plantations. They showed how successful free Black people could be, proving wrong the argument that freed people would not work.

Working with Leaders and Legacy

After the war, Warner Mifflin became a strong voice for ending the slave trade and slavery completely. He traveled widely, urging state governments to pass laws against slavery. He also worked to stop the domestic slave trade and prevent free Black people from being kidnapped and re-enslaved.

In 1788, he helped start Delaware's first anti-slavery society. In 1790, he was part of a group that presented a petition against slavery to the U.S. Congress. This led to a long and heated debate. He met with President George Washington again, who remembered him and treated him kindly.

In 1791, Warner sent a strong personal message about slavery to President Washington and Congress. Congress rejected his message, which set a pattern for later rules that tried to stop discussions about slavery. Warner responded by publishing a powerful writing in 1793, challenging the moral conscience of the congressmen.

By the 1790s, his farm, Chestnut Grove, became a safe place for runaway slaves. Slave owners sued him for this, but it did not stop his work. He was asked for help more and more often throughout his life.

Warner Mifflin was recognized internationally for his efforts. In 1782, a French writer included a story about him in his book. A French radical, Jacques Pierre Brissot, who visited America in 1788, was greatly influenced by Warner. Brissot later became a leader in the French Revolution.

Warner Mifflin's last public event was a Quaker meeting in 1798 during a yellow fever outbreak. He helped those who were sick but sadly died from the fever himself.

Lasting Impact

Warner Mifflin was far ahead of his time in his political views. He believed slavery should end and that African Americans were just as capable as white people if given a fair chance. He often had more progressive ideas than most Quakers. He made big personal sacrifices to live by his beliefs.

He was recognized around the world for his anti-slavery work. Many people, including Richard Allen, gave him credit for helping free many African Americans. Jacques Pierre Brissot wrote about him, saying, "What humanity! What charity! It seems his only pleasure, his very existence, is to love and serve mankind."

Because of his efforts and others, 74% of the Black population in Kent County, Delaware, was free by 1800. President John Adams agreed with Warner's goals but believed slavery should end slowly.

Warner's second wife, Ann, also became a tireless reformer. She traveled to different states on various missions. She was one of the first women to suggest the idea of helping formerly enslaved people move to Africa. She also supported the idea of Native Americans adopting American culture, rather than being forced to move.

Warner Mifflin's sisters and daughters also continued his work for social change. In the 1800s, African Americans in Philadelphia formed the African Warner Mifflin Society. Although he was less known in the 1900s, historian Gary B. Nash wrote a book about him to show that Warner Mifflin was a key person connecting the anti-slavery movements before and after the American Revolution.

See also

• David Cooper, another abolitionist from Warner's time
• Thomas Garrett, another Quaker abolitionist who lived in Delaware
• 1688 Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery