Olsavsky, Jesse
(2019)
"Fire and Sword Will Affect More Good": Runaways, Vigilance Committees, and the Rise of Revolutionary Abolitionism, 1835-1860.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
This is the latest version of this item.
Abstract
Vigilance committees were urban, interracial organizations committed to protecting northern black neighborhoods from police and slave catchers, and to helping fugitive slaves along the Underground Railroad. They provided the setting in which activists, most of whom were black, female, or working-class, came into contact with thousands of fugitive slaves and learned from their experiences within the “prison house” of slavery. This dissertation examines the networks and organizational methods of the committees and shows how they radicalized abolitionism, plotted revolutions, and provoked sectional conflicts between North and South. It further illustrates how the rich dialogues between fugitives and activists nurtured Transcendentalist philosophy, black feminism, slave narrative writing, anti-imperialist thought, and prison abolition, among other things. In short, this project re-affirms the crucial role of slave resistance in Atlantic abolition, and shows the constitutive place of the Underground Railroad in crafting the black radical tradition.
Share
| Citation/Export: |
|
| Social Networking: |
|
Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
|
| Date: |
25 June 2019 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
1 April 2019 |
| Approval Date: |
25 June 2019 |
| Submission Date: |
4 April 2019 |
| Access Restriction: |
5 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 5 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
371 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > History |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Fugitive Slaves, Antislavery, US History, Slavery, Social Movements, African American History |
| Date Deposited: |
25 Jun 2019 21:45 |
| Last Modified: |
25 Jun 2024 05:15 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/36670 |
Available Versions of this Item
-
"Fire and Sword Will Affect More Good": Runaways, Vigilance Committees, and the Rise of Revolutionary Abolitionism, 1835-1860. (deposited 25 Jun 2019 21:45)
[Currently Displayed]
Metrics
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}