Beriah Green
Encyclopedia
Beriah Green, Jr. was an American
reformer and noted abolitionist.
Greene was born in Preston, Connecticut
. He graduated from Middlebury College
, Vt.
, in 1819, and then studied for the ministry at Andover Theological Seminary (1819-20) but his religious beliefs did not agree with any denominational creed
.
In 1821 he was made professor of sacred literature in Western Reserve College
in Hudson, Ohio
. The American Colonization Society
(ACS) was very controversial at Western Reserve College. Students and faculty often had debates on the subject. At this time, William Lloyd Garrison
became a great influence to Green. In 1832, Green used the chapel four Sundays in a row to attack the ACS and its supporters. This angered many trustees and clergymen.
Expecting to be fired, Green resigned in 1833 and became the president of the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York, a Presbyterian institution. Green accepted the presidency at Oneida on two conditions: he was allowed to preach immediatism and he was allowed to accept African-American students. The Oneida Institute was a manual labor college founded in 1829, but it also had some liberal classical classes.
As president, Green dramatically changed the college by accepting numerous African Americans, more than any other college during the 1830s and 1840s. Green did not believe that it was right to have separate labor schools for blacks and whites. This belief led him to attempt to get Gerrit Smith
to merge his black manual labor college with the Oneida Institute. This made Oneida a hotspot for abolitionist activity. Many future well-known black leaders and abolitionists were students at Oneida while Green was president. These include William Forten, Alexander Crummell
, Rev. Henry Highland Garnet
and Rev. Amos Noë Freeman
.
In 1832, Green began to correspond with Gerrit Smith on the issue of black education. The two men became very close friends and much of what is known about Green is known from their letters. The two men worked together toward the goal of abolition. They continued correspondence until 1872, when they stopped writing because of long held disagreements about civil government and political abolition.
Green presided over the 1833 meeting of the American Anti-Abolition Society in Philadelphia. He was famous for refuting the arguments of men who used the Bible to defend slavery. In the late 1830s, Green focused most of his time contesting these arguments.
The Panic of 1837 hit the Oneida Institute hard and the college began to decline. Green also had begun to lose favor with conservative Presbyterians, which added to Oneida’s troubles. Green became a troublemaker in the religious community of the North after he formed a separation congregation of abolitionist-minded members of the Whitesboro's First Presbyterian Church in 1837.
In 1844, the Oneida Institute was sold to the Freewill Baptists because of financial problems. After the Oneida Institute closed, Green became an active supporter of the Liberty Party
. This was a third party that was completely devoted to the abolition of slavery
. After the party failed to make an impact on American politics, Green became bitter with the democratic process. He did not like popular democracy and was in favor of an oligarchy or modified theocracy. Unlike many Liberty Party members, Green did not join the Free Soil Party
. He was worried that abolition would not be part of the major party principles.
After fellow abolitionists did not support his ideas about government, Green became resentful and did not travel far from Whitesboro. He supported his wife and children by farming and preaching to small groups of abolitionists.
In 1860, Green published a collection of his writings, titled Sermons and Other Discourses with Brief Biographical Hints.
He died on May 4, 1874 while giving a speech on temperance in Whitesboro.
Green wrote several books, including:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reformer and noted abolitionist.
Greene was born in Preston, Connecticut
Preston, Connecticut
Preston is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,688 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of Long Society, Preston City, and Poquetanuck.-History:...
. He graduated from Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, Vt.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, in 1819, and then studied for the ministry at Andover Theological Seminary (1819-20) but his religious beliefs did not agree with any denominational creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
.
In 1821 he was made professor of sacred literature in Western Reserve College
Western Reserve College
Western Reserve College may refer to:* Western Reserve Academy, a private, mid-sized, coeducational boarding and day college preparatory school located in Hudson, Ohio...
in Hudson, Ohio
Hudson, Ohio
Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 22,262 at the 2010 census. It is an affluent exurban community and is part of the Akron, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The American Colonization Society
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
(ACS) was very controversial at Western Reserve College. Students and faculty often had debates on the subject. At this time, William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
became a great influence to Green. In 1832, Green used the chapel four Sundays in a row to attack the ACS and its supporters. This angered many trustees and clergymen.
Expecting to be fired, Green resigned in 1833 and became the president of the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York, a Presbyterian institution. Green accepted the presidency at Oneida on two conditions: he was allowed to preach immediatism and he was allowed to accept African-American students. The Oneida Institute was a manual labor college founded in 1829, but it also had some liberal classical classes.
As president, Green dramatically changed the college by accepting numerous African Americans, more than any other college during the 1830s and 1840s. Green did not believe that it was right to have separate labor schools for blacks and whites. This belief led him to attempt to get Gerrit Smith
Gerrit Smith
Gerrit Smith was a leading United States social reformer, abolitionist, politician, and philanthropist...
to merge his black manual labor college with the Oneida Institute. This made Oneida a hotspot for abolitionist activity. Many future well-known black leaders and abolitionists were students at Oneida while Green was president. These include William Forten, Alexander Crummell
Alexander Crummell
Alexander Crummell was a pioneering African pastor, professor and African nationalist....
, Rev. Henry Highland Garnet
Henry Highland Garnet
Henry Highland Garnet was an African American abolitionist and orator. An advocate of militant abolitionism, Garnet was a prominent member of the abolition movement that led against moral suasion toward more political action. Renowned for his skills as a public speaker, he urged blacks to take...
and Rev. Amos Noë Freeman
Amos Noë Freeman
Amos Noë Freeman was an American abolitionist, Presbyterian minister and educator.-Early life:Freeman was a born in Rahway, New Jersey, and was orphaned and raised within the church from an early age. As a child, he was sent to attend the African Free School in Manhattan, then matriculated to...
.
In 1832, Green began to correspond with Gerrit Smith on the issue of black education. The two men became very close friends and much of what is known about Green is known from their letters. The two men worked together toward the goal of abolition. They continued correspondence until 1872, when they stopped writing because of long held disagreements about civil government and political abolition.
Green presided over the 1833 meeting of the American Anti-Abolition Society in Philadelphia. He was famous for refuting the arguments of men who used the Bible to defend slavery. In the late 1830s, Green focused most of his time contesting these arguments.
The Panic of 1837 hit the Oneida Institute hard and the college began to decline. Green also had begun to lose favor with conservative Presbyterians, which added to Oneida’s troubles. Green became a troublemaker in the religious community of the North after he formed a separation congregation of abolitionist-minded members of the Whitesboro's First Presbyterian Church in 1837.
In 1844, the Oneida Institute was sold to the Freewill Baptists because of financial problems. After the Oneida Institute closed, Green became an active supporter of the Liberty Party
Liberty Party (1840s)
The Liberty Party was a minor political party in the United States in the 1840s . The party was an early advocate of the abolitionist cause...
. This was a third party that was completely devoted to the abolition of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. After the party failed to make an impact on American politics, Green became bitter with the democratic process. He did not like popular democracy and was in favor of an oligarchy or modified theocracy. Unlike many Liberty Party members, Green did not join the Free Soil Party
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership...
. He was worried that abolition would not be part of the major party principles.
After fellow abolitionists did not support his ideas about government, Green became resentful and did not travel far from Whitesboro. He supported his wife and children by farming and preaching to small groups of abolitionists.
In 1860, Green published a collection of his writings, titled Sermons and Other Discourses with Brief Biographical Hints.
He died on May 4, 1874 while giving a speech on temperance in Whitesboro.
Green wrote several books, including:
- History of the QuakersReligious Society of FriendsThe Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(1823), and - Sermons and Discourses, with a few Essays and Addresses (1833).