What was Maine’s role in the abolition movement? It’s well known that Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin while living in Brunswick and several Maine communities were part of the underground railroad. But historians say most Maine residents were ambivalent about abolition. While slavery was outlawed in Maine in 1783, it wasn't until 1833 that Maine's Anti-Slavery Society was organized. We delve into this complicated chapter in Maine history.
Panelists:
Patrick Rael, professor of history, Bowdoin College; his most recent book is Eighty-Eight Years: The Long Death of Slavery in the United States, 1777-1865
Bob Greene, retired journalist; expert in Maine's Black history
Mary T. Freeman, assistant professor of New England history, University of Maine
