Date of Award

5-2026

Access Control

Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

Advisor

Dr. Erin C. Barr

Department Home page

https://suny.buffalostate.edu/programs/history-and-social-studies-education

First Reader

Dr. Erin C. Barr

Second Reader

Dr. Martin F. Ederer

Abstract

When Americans think of abolition and abolitionists, they most likely think of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison or Harriet Tubman. Those names are associated with New England and Rochester, New York. Many accounts of abolitionism mention Buffalo, but only in passing. As a terminus on the Underground Railroad, Buffalo was on the route to freedom in Canada and played a vital role in the nation’s journey towards eliminating slavery. This thesis endeavors to discover the depth of abolitionist tendencies in Buffalo by looking at specific individuals and events between 1830 and 1860. There were politicians and trends that most likely kept Buffalo from being as strong of a harbor of abolitionism as it could have been. Yet many Buffalonians were active in assisting freedom seekers and in advocating for abolitionism. The quiet and persistent work of a sector of the population pushed the movement forward in significant ways.

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