]> http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms008026 James Gillespie Birney A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress Prepared by Jacqueline GogginRevised by Michael McElderry Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
2008

Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html

Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2008 Finding aid written in English. Collection Summary James Gillespie Birney Papers 1830-circa 1895 (bulk 1830-1850) MSS12799 Birney, James Gillespie, 1792-1857 22 items 1 container 0.2 linear feet 1 microfilm reel Collection material in English Manuscript Division Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Abolitionist and editor. Correspondence, diaries, a notebook, and newspaper clippings primarily concerning Birney's participation in the antislavery movement. Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.

 Personal Names Birney, James Gillespie, 1792-1857. Holley, Myron, 1779-1841--Correspondence. Lundy, Benjamin, 1789-1839. Mudge, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1817-1879--Correspondence. Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874--Correspondence. Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874. Weld, Theodore Dwight, 1803-1895--Correspondence. Weld, Theodore Dwight, 1803-1895. Organizations American Colonization Society. Liberty Party (U.S.) Subjects Abolitionists. African Americans--Colonization--Africa. Antislavery movements. Slavery. Related Names Birney, William, 1819-1907. William Birney papers. Occupations Abolitionists. Editors. Administrative Information Provenance:

The papers of James Gillespie Birney, abolitionist and editor, were deposited in the Library of Congress by Dion S. Birney in 1932. The deposit was converted to a gift in 1958.

 Processing History:

The papers of James Gillespie Birney were arranged and described in 1981. The collection was expanded and revised in 1986 and 1998, and additional revisions were made to the finding aid in 2008.

 Transfers:

The "Liberty's Advocate" (Amesbury and Salisbury, Mass.; 21 Oct. 1843, no. 5)has been transferred to the Rare Books and Special Collections Division where they are identified as part of the James Gillespie Birney Papers.

 Copyright Status:

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of James Gillespie Birney is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

 Microfilm:

A microfilm edition of these papers is available on one reel. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan.

 Preferred Citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, James Gillespie Birney Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note Date Event 1792, Feb. 4 Born, Danville, Ky. 1810 Graduated, College of New Jersey (Princeton University), Princeton, N.J. 1814 Read law in office of Alexander J. Dallas, Philadelphia, Pa. Admitted to bar Began law practice in Danville, Ky. 1816 Married Agatha McDowell (died 1839) Elected to Kentucky legislature 1818 Moved to Alabama 1819 Elected representative to first General Assembly of Alabama 1827 Drafted legislation passed by the General Assembly of Alabama prohibiting the importation of slaves 1829 Slave importation bill repealed by the General Assembly of Alabama 1832 Reintroduced legislation in the general assembly of Alabama prohibiting the importation of slaves Became agent for the American Colonization Society, traveling and lecturing in the South to promote colonization of slaves Returned to Kentucky 1834 Emancipated his slaves 1835 Formed Kentucky Anti-Slavery Society 1836 Moved to Ohio and began to publish the Philanthropist, an antislavery newspaper 1837 Elected executive secretary, American Anti-Slavery Society Moved to New York 1840 Vice president, World's Anti-Slavery Convention 1840, 1844 Presidential candidate for the Liberty Party 1841 Married Miss Fitzhugh 1852 Published Examination of the Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, in the Case of Strader, Gorman and Armstrong vs. Christopher Graham, Delivered at Its December Term, 1850: Concluding with an Address to the Free Colored People, Advising them to Remove to Liberia. Cincinnati: Truman & Spofford 1857, Nov. 25 Died, Perth Amboy, N.J. Scope and Content Note

The papers of James Gillespie Birney (1792-1857) span the years 1830-circa 1895, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1830-1850. They contain four types of material arranged in the following order: diaries, a notebook, correspondence, and newspaper clippings.

The diaries, consisting of three volumes, 1830-1850, were written by Birney while he traveled throughout the United States and abroad on antislavery lecture tours. They describe his travels on behalf of the abolitionist movement; his association with abolitionist leaders, such as Benjamin Lundy, Gerrit Smith, and Theodore Weld; his opposition to the followers of William Lloyd Garrison, who believed that slavery could not be abolished through legal and constitutional means; and his support for the colonization of slaves in Africa and for the American Colonization Society.

The notebook, circa 1895, may have been written by Birney's son, William, and contains biographical information on his father's activities as an abolitionist.

The correspondence, 1834-1844, contains mainly letters James Birney wrote to Gerrit Smith and Theodore Weld discussing antislavery activities. Included are a letter of 1844 to B. F. Mudge regarding the Liberty party's convention in Lynn, Massachusetts, and a photocopy of an 1839 letter to Myron Holley describing political agitation to end slavery.

The newspaper clippings consist of an obituary of Benjamin Lundy and a letter D. D. Barnard wrote to the United States House of Representatives in 1842 regarding a resolution of censure proposed by Congressman Joshua Giddings.

 Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged by type of material.

 Container List

Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 19,543

 Container Contents 1 1 Diaries 1 1 1830, Aug 31-Oct. 1 1 1 1834, Sept.-Oct. 1 1 1840-1842, 1845, 1850 1 1 Notebook, probably by William Birney for a biography of his father, circa 1895 1 1 Correspondence 1 1 1834 1 1 1835, 1844 1 1 1839, Dec., photocopy 1 1 Newspaper clippings, 1839, 1842