William Henry Burleigh lived in an era where revolution and rebellion only occured within one's set limits of race, class, and gender. However, he had a vision and stretched his mind to incorporate a novel idea - freedom and equality regardless of skin color. In 1841, Burleigh was leading the way for equal rights, speaking out against injustice. He was fighting for men and women who did not even classify as humans in the eyes of the law. As a renowned abolitionist, known for passionate speeches, essays, and poems, Burleigh was a man before his time. His impassioned work will forever be etched in the memory of abolition. He risked his career, his family, and his life in a dangerous fight for equal rights. Yes, Burleigh was a author - he wrote passionately and freely... he was a soldier - he fought with pen and ink, with language and literature... he was a businessman - he knew the importance of circulation and creativity...but above all, Burleigh was a poet - he put his passion, creativity, knowledge, and heroism together in a sysnthesis of thought and vision and created a legacy of love and equality.
To research more about the history of abolition in Ann Arbor, in Michigan, and in the United States, check out the following...
--Signal of Liberty (newspaper) - available at the Bentley Historical Library, Ann Arbor
--Liberty Party (political party) - check out newspapers, journals, and reference material
--Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation - go back to the beginning and trace the changes in social and legal freedoms
--Anti-Slavery Societies - look at newspapers, circulations, fliers, logs, and essays - see how the fight for freedom bloomed in cities and towns across America
--Religious institutions - check out references about churches, synogauges, and other religious institutions that supported emancipation
--Personal Papers - look at the family papers of famous abolitionists to understand the social implications of early abolitionism
--Don't foget to keep an eye out for poetry, essays. newspapers, records, diaries, and logs to learn the truth behind slavery and the history of emancipation in our nation.