NAHOF holds 2009 induction ceremony
Kasey Brooks, '10 | Staff Reporter
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: News
"History isn't a textbook!" Frederick Morsell's voice rang out through the Hall of Presidents at Colgate University on Oct. 24. He continued, "This is Fred Morsell talking, not Frederick Douglass." Morsell, who is a professional Frederick Douglass reenactor, was ending his stirring keynote address at the National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum's 2009 induction ceremony. He not only held the audience riveted with his booming voice and obvious charisma, but he also stressed the importance of remembering the past in order to learn from it. It is this message that lies at the heart of the National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum in nearby Peterboro, NY.
The ceremony took place over the course of the entire weekend and included visual lectures, dramatic monologues, exhibits and seminars about the history of the first abolition movement and the inductees themselves. The past NAHOF inductees all played vital roles in bringing about the abolition of slavery, along with the two newest inductees, Lewis Tappan and Theodore Dwight Weld.
Lewis Tappan was born on May 23, 1788 in Northampton, Ma. In 1833 he became one of the founding members of the Anti-Slavery Society. With profits from a lucrative family business, Tappan was able to put a lot of money not only towards the Society, but also towards the creation of Oberlin, a prominent integrated college in Ohio. Tappan was passionately religious as well, helping to create the American Missionary Society in 1846.
Theodore Dwight Weld was a close friend and ally to Tappan. He was born on Nov. 23, 1803 and was a reformer even in his youth. Focusing his efforts on abolition during his college years, Weld promptly discovered the Anti-Slavery Society and became one of its most celebrated speakers. His efforts soon expanded to include editing an abolitionist newspaper and writing a book about American slavery. He and his wife both taught at the Weld Institute and the Eagleswood School, instilling tolerance and equality in their students.
It is easy to despair of mankind ever learning from its mistakes sometimes. What humans forget, they are doomed to repeat, or so the saying goes. As Fred Morsell said, history cannot just be a textbook. It must be something mankind uses to better itself, rather than something tossed away and forgotten. However, with the advent of the National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum, the history of the abolitionists has found a sanctuary for its stories, told and as yet untold.
 | John Brown (Greg Artzner), Abraham Lincoln (Jack Baylis) and Frederick Douglass (Fred Morsell) stand together in front of the replica of the Smithfield Community Center exhibit Oct. 24. The three participated in the annual October induction of the National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum. Photo by Kasey Brooks, '10 | Senior Editor |
|---|
The ceremony took place over the course of the entire weekend and included visual lectures, dramatic monologues, exhibits and seminars about the history of the first abolition movement and the inductees themselves. The past NAHOF inductees all played vital roles in bringing about the abolition of slavery, along with the two newest inductees, Lewis Tappan and Theodore Dwight Weld.
Lewis Tappan was born on May 23, 1788 in Northampton, Ma. In 1833 he became one of the founding members of the Anti-Slavery Society. With profits from a lucrative family business, Tappan was able to put a lot of money not only towards the Society, but also towards the creation of Oberlin, a prominent integrated college in Ohio. Tappan was passionately religious as well, helping to create the American Missionary Society in 1846.
Theodore Dwight Weld was a close friend and ally to Tappan. He was born on Nov. 23, 1803 and was a reformer even in his youth. Focusing his efforts on abolition during his college years, Weld promptly discovered the Anti-Slavery Society and became one of its most celebrated speakers. His efforts soon expanded to include editing an abolitionist newspaper and writing a book about American slavery. He and his wife both taught at the Weld Institute and the Eagleswood School, instilling tolerance and equality in their students.
It is easy to despair of mankind ever learning from its mistakes sometimes. What humans forget, they are doomed to repeat, or so the saying goes. As Fred Morsell said, history cannot just be a textbook. It must be something mankind uses to better itself, rather than something tossed away and forgotten. However, with the advent of the National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum, the history of the abolitionists has found a sanctuary for its stories, told and as yet untold.