Published under the name of “Iron Gray,” The Gospel of Slavery was a book ahead of its time. At first glance, the typical person today would grimace at the amount of detail this book goes into. After a bit more research though, the narrative changes.
Thomas, Abel C. (Abel Charles). The gospel of slavery: a primer of freedom. By Iron Gray.
Abel C. Thomas was an antislavery activist from Philidelphia. In 1864, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, he wrote this alphabet book to help the children of the African American populations who had been freed to learn to read. The reason why the pseudonym “Iron Gray” was used is unknown, though I can only assume that it was for protectionary purposes.
Thomas, Abel C. (Abel Charles). The gospel of slavery: a primer of freedom. By Iron Gray.
In order to make these books more accessible to these people, especially children, he used situations that these former slaves knew all too well to help teach the letters of the English alphabet.
Thomas, Abel C. (Abel Charles). The gospel of slavery: a primer of freedom. By Iron Gray.
While the details of some pages can make the average person today feel uncomfortable, this was the reality for so many freed slaves in the 1860s. I would greatly recommend giving this book a read-through and seeing for yourself the complete contents of this book.
Thomas, Abel C. (Abel Charles). The gospel of slavery: a primer of freedom. By Iron Gray.
Sources:
- Thomas, Abel C. (Abel Charles). The gospel of slavery: a primer of freedom. By Iron Gray. Published by T.W. Strong, 1864. Readex: Afro-Americana Imprints from the Library Company of Philadelphia, https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ezproxy.stolaf.edu/apps/readex/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AFAMER&req_dat=102FE1F6CA316FA2&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A13D59FCC0F7F54B8%2540EAIX-147E02C279A1CCA8%2540-1499F1F8C785CBE8%254019. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
- Onion, Rebecca. “‘F Is for Fugitive’: A Fantastic 1864 Children’s Book about the Evil of Slavery.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 24 Jan. 2013, slate.com/human-interest/2013/01/gospel-of-slavery-the-1864-pro-abolitionist-childrens-book.html.