True Life Tuesday: Henry Highland Garnet

Henry Highland Garnet was born into slavery on December 23, 1815 in Kent County, Maryland. His grandfather was an African chief and warrior who was captured and sold into slave traders during a tribal fight. In 1824 he along with 11 other family members were given permission to attend a funeral. They escaped via covered wagon to Wilmington, Delaware and moved to New York City. 

He attended the African Free School from 1826-1831. While there he began his career in abolitionism. In 1834 he co-founded the Garrison Literary and Benevolent Association, named after the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. In 1838 he graduated from the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York. He injured his lower leg playing sports in 1839 and had it amputated in 1840 or 1841. He moved to Troy, New York in 1839 where he started teaching school. He became pastor of Liberty Street Presbyterian Church in 1842. He would house fugitive slaves at the church. His famous speech, "Call to Rebellion", was given at the 1843 National Convention of Colored Citizens in Buffalo, New York. In this speech he called for armed rebellion to end slavery. His ideas were seen as too radical by other abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. In 1849 he began supporting emigration of blacks to Mexico, Liberia or Haiti. He felt that the opportunities for black were greater there than in America. 

In 1850 he went to Great Britain and spent 2-1/2 years lecturing there. In 1852 he went to Jamaica as a missionary where he spent the next 3 years. He was declared a US citizen and given a passport by Secretary of State William H. Seward in 1861. He was back in New York City when the draft riots occurred in 1863. His daughter saved his life when she removed the name plate from their residence just before the mob arrived. He eventually moved to Washington, D.C. to help in the recruitment of black soldiers to the Union army. On February 12, 1865 he became the first black to preach at the US House of Representatives. He was appointed the US Minister to Liberia on December 28, 1881.

In 1841 he married Julia Ward Williams who he met in school. The couple had 3 children but only one daughter lived to adulthood. Julia died on January 7, 1870. He was remarried to Sarah Smith Tompkins in 1875. Sarah was a teacher, principal and suffragist. Henry died of malaria in Liberia on February 13, 1882. He was given a state funeral and was buried in Palm Grove Cemetery in Monrovia.