Historic Abolitionist Document Discovered in Groton Church
A remarkable 178-year-old scroll titled “A Resolution and Protest Against Slavery” has been unearthed in a closet at a church in Groton, marking a significant find in the history of the abolitionist movement. The document was discovered on May 24 by Rev. John Odams of the First Baptist Church in Boston and historian Jen Cromack while organizing archives at The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts.
Inside a banker’s box, they found a 5-foot-long scroll, a critical artifact of the 1847 declaration made by the Boston Baptist Association, signed by 116 ministers from New England. Rev. Diane L. Badger, administrator of the American Baptist Church of Massachusetts, hailed the scroll as the “Holy Grail” of abolitionist-era documents.
The clergy’s declaration firmly condemned American slavery, coming shortly after the split from Southern Baptists in 1845. This newfound document provides valuable insights into the efforts of Northern Baptists to mobilize against slavery in the United States. Previous attempts to locate the original documents at esteemed institutions, including Harvard and Brown University, had been unsuccessful, making this discovery a landmark moment for American history.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
