Lewis Tappan
A New York abolitionist who worked to achieve freedom for the enslaved Africans aboard the Amistad. Tappan was also among the founders of the American Missionary Association in 1846, which began more than 100 anti-slavery Congregational churches throughout the Midwest, and after the American Civil War, founded numerous schools and colleges to aid in the education of freedmen. Lewis and Arthur Tappan were brothers who earned a fortune importing silk from Asia. Lewis went on to form the Mercantile Agency (Today it is known as Dun and Bradstreet, a billion-dollar corporation.)
They demanded “universal liberty.” Whites, such as the Tappans, who spoke out for equality were hated and often targeted. During the riots of 1834, pro-slavery mobs attacked the Tappans repeatedly. First the Chatham Chapel, which the brothers rented for abolitionist meetings, was attacked. Lewis’s home was attacked; his belongings were piled in the street and burned. A year later a $100,000 reward was offered to anyone who delivered the dead bodies of the Tappans to any slave state. Both brothers drew on their faith for strength and continued their abolitionist work.
Working with African Americans such as Frederick Douglass, Samuel Cornish, and Henry Highland Garnet, the brothers accomplished many things. They helped found the New York Anti-Slavery Society and were actively part of the Underground Railroad. Lewis organized the defense for the Africans of the slave ship Amistad. The brothers also gave money to integrated colleges, abolitionist newspapers, and many other anti-slavery organizations.
In 1830, as prominent merchants, the Tappans met a young abolitionist agitator named William Lloyd Garrison, whom Arthur offered financial support. Soon, the brothers were part of a nationwide network opposing slavery. Their new crusade made them the hated targets of many merchants and white laborers, who believed ending slavery would destroy the cotton export business and allow freed slaves to take scarce jobs. By 1834, mobs were storming Lewis' home and Arthur's store.
Faced with a boycott and lost business, the Tappans were forced to extend credit for the first time. Then, in the panic of 1837, the business was wiped out. By 1839, Arthur had repaid all his creditors and the business was shakily back on its feet.
They were instrumental in their financial support for the NYC Vigilance Committee and the landmark Amistad Case.
