Speaker or author: Ward, Samuel Ringgold, b. 1817
Newspaper or publication: Pennsylvania Freeman
Speech responding to a claim made by Captain Isaiah Rynders that he could prove the Negro race had descended from monkeys. Captain Rynders and a man referred to as Dr. Grant were attempting to convince others of the racial inferiority of the Negro race.
Description of file(s): PDF 2 page, 531 word document (text and images)
Speaker or author: Brown, William Wells, 1814?-1884
Newspaper or publication: Liberator
The speaker addressed the issue of the competence and intellectual abilities of African Americans. He offered a rebuttal on the idea that freed slaves would be unable to take care of themselves. He emphasized a historical perspective on the intellectual ability of the Negro race to not only survive but to prosper independent of European influence.
Description of file(s): PDF 14 page, 3,770 word document (text and images)