Baptists of Kansas City were involved in the abolition movement before and during the Civil War. In the first two years of the war, runaway slaves (or contraband) found refuge in Union Army camps and towns and cities of the North. Of the latter, Leavenworth, Kansas served as a refuge for runaway slaves in the…
During the war many Baptist associations and state conventions, South and North alike, formed committees on the “State of the Country” during annual gatherings. Not surprisingly, Northern Baptist reports commonly voiced support for emancipation of slaves and the Union efforts to defeat the South. Conversely, (white) Baptist groups who offered such reports (and many did…
During the war Sussex County, New Jersey harbored an inordinate amount of Peace Democrat sentiment, evidenced in a solid majority vote for George McClellan, running against Abraham Lincoln, in the November presidential election. Sussex County is also a place where the Baptist presence is strong, evidenced at local fairs and celebrations, during which the Baptist…