William Shreve Bailey facts for kids
William Shreve Bailey (born 1806, died 1886) was an American mechanic and printer. He was born in Centerville, Ohio, and later moved to Newport, Kentucky. William Bailey was famous for publishing newspapers that fought against slavery. He received a lot of help from people who also wanted to end slavery, especially when his work caused him money problems.
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Fighting Against Slavery
William Bailey was a skilled worker who built cotton machines and steam engines. He owned a machine shop in Newport, Kentucky. His strong beliefs led him to join the movement to end slavery, known as abolitionism.
Bailey started writing articles for a newspaper called the Newport News. The owner of the newspaper was having trouble because he was printing messages against slavery in a state where slavery was allowed. So, the owner asked Bailey to buy the newspaper, and he did.
Newspapers for Freedom
After buying the Newport News, Bailey started other newspapers. These included the Kentucky Weekly News, which he published from 1851 to 1858. He also published The Free South from 1858 to 1866. These newspapers were very important because they shared ideas about why slavery should be stopped.
People who supported slavery did not like Bailey's work. His printing machines were destroyed twice, once in 1851 and again in 1859. Even with these challenges, Bailey kept going. He received money and support from people who were against slavery in both the United States and the United Kingdom. In 1860, he even went on a tour to give speeches about ending slavery.
Little Laura's Story
In 1859, a book called Little Laura, the Kentucky Abolitionist was written by Anna Richardson. This book was about William Bailey's daughter, Laura. It told the story of how Laura helped her father with his newspaper work. Sadly, Laura died when she was only 10 years old. The book also talked about the money problems the Bailey family faced because of their fight against slavery. The main goal of the book was to encourage children to ask their parents to donate money to the anti-slavery cause.
Friendship and Support
William Bailey had a good friend named Photius Fisk. Fisk was a wealthy person who helped many abolitionists. In the 1860s, he gave Bailey a large amount of money to support his work against slavery. Fisk continued to help fund Bailey's newspaper even after the American Civil War ended. When William Bailey passed away, Photius Fisk paid for a monument to be built in his honor.
