Benjamin Lundy was a prominent abolitionist in the 1820’s and 1830’s. Brought up as a Quaker in what is now West Virginia, he saw the iniquity of slavery. In 1821 he started the Genius of Universal Emancipation in Mount Pleasant, Ohio.
From there the periodical moved several times, being published in Greenville, TN, Baltimore, MD, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. It ceased publication in 1835 and Lundy took over the editorship of National Enquirer in Philadelphia for a brief period. In 1838 he purchased a farm in northern Illinois and reestablished the Genius of Universal Emancipation but died the next year at age 50. The Genius of Universal Emancipation, an early and influential anti-slavery periodical influenced by Lundy’s Quaker principles, advocated the colonization of former slaves and the slow dissolution of the slave system. William Lloyd Garrison worked on the paper in 1829 while Lundy was away on lecture tours. He advocated a more direct attack on slavery and the slavers of the area. This led to his imprisonment for 6 months. Upon his release Garrison parted with Lundy who resumed control of the publication again.
What makes this rare volume even more special is the inclusion of four engraved plates. Illustrated here is the engraving, “United States Slave Trade. 1830,” included with the July 1830 issue. “The Copperplate engraving accompanying this number, was executed by one of our ingenious Baltimore artists, from a design furnished by the editor, and drawn by a young gentleman of this city.” Lundy went on to note that it was prepared expressly for the periodical, at an expense of $30. Copies were available separately, with or without frames.
~ Vincent Golden, Curator of Newspapers and Periodicals
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