KEYWORDS: Abolition, animals, food, social reform, women's rights

 

RELATED AUTHORS:

SUMMARY (Aïcha Bouchelaghem, edited Ridvan Askin & Deborah Madsen):

Reminiscing about New England abolitionism, Pillsbury notes in his memoir that many abolitionists were also engaged in social reform endeavors, including animal welfare and veganism. He aims to rectify “misrepresentations” of anti-slavery activism and activists: “These misrepresentations came mainly from the clergy, as did most of our bitterest opposition while prosecuting our anti-slavery labors” (iv). The book emphasizes abolitionist activism with respect to other social reform endeavors, including Temperance, pacifism, women's rights, children's rights, animal welfare, and veganism. Thus, Pillsbury reports that on lecture tours, he and Stephen Symonds Foster “lived, when abroad, much of the time on the fat of the land; only metaphorically as to the fat, for we entered the field vegetarians, and Foster so continued till age, infirmity and medical men counselled him otherwise, though possibly, neither wisely nor well. I always doubted it” (195). Similarly, Pillsbury records that Loring Moody “continued in the anti-slavery service, was at one period general agent of the Massachusetts Society, till the opening of the war of the rebellion. He was afterwards secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and still later of a similar association in behalf of poor children. His reports proved conclusively his earnestness and faithfulness and consequent usefulness in his work” (489). Pillsbury characterizes Abby Kelley as “a well and widely-known lecturer on anti-slavery, temperance, peace, and other subjects pertaining to the rights and the welfare of man and womankind” (126). And of Nathaniel Peabody Rogers he writes that “Rogers was ever found the firm, unshaken, uncompromising friend and advocate of not only the anti-slavery enterprise, but of the causes of temperance, peace, rights of woman, abolition of the gallows and halter, and other social and moral reforms” (30-31). While focusing on abolitionism, Pillsbury's memoir highlights the intersectional nature of the Abolitionist activism in which he was involved.