December 23

Henry Highland Garnet was an American abolitionist, minister, educator, orator, and diplomat. He was a prominent activist abolitionist that led beyond moral suasion toward more political action.

Born on December 23, 1815, Garnet was renowned for his skills as a public speaker, he urged black Americans to take action and claim their own destinies.

His own history perhaps dictated this position. Born into slavery in Maryland, as a child he escaped bondage, fleeing with his parents, George and Henrietta Trusty, to New York City, where he grew up under their new name, Garnet. He was educated at the African Free School and other institutions, and became an advocate of a militant abolitionism that was angered in his Christian faith.

Henry Highland Garnet married Julia Ward Williams, a teacher, in 1841. The family moved frequently as Garnet pursued the ministry and teaching as well as abolitionist activities. In 1843 Garnet became nationally prominent when he delivered “An Address To The Slaves of The United States of America” at the National Convention of Colored Citizens in Buffalo. He urged the slaves to rebel and claim their own freedom.

In 1864 Garnet became pastor of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. On Sunday, February 12, 1865 Garnet preached a sermon in the U.S. House of Representatives. Although he did not address Congress, his presentation was the first by an African American in the Capitol Building.

In 1868 Garnet moved to Pittsburgh where he briefly served as President of Avery College, a school of religious education for African Americans. Originally an opponent of the colonization movement, by the mid-nineteenth century Garnet shifted his support to the migration of black Americans to Liberia. In December 1881 President James A. Garfield appointed Garnet minister (ambassador) to Liberia. Garnet moved to the West African nation but died on February 13, 1882, barely two months after his arrival.

Footnote:
Yee, S. (2007, January 17). Henry Highland Garnet (1815-1882). BlackPast.org.