WILLIAM COOPER NELL was the publisher of Frederick Douglass’s abolitionist newspaper the North Star. His work The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution is considered the first history book by and about African Americans that is based on written documentation. The book was previously used as a textbook in the American education system and it chronicled many of the contributions made by African-American patriots at the founding of America.
Nell's work chronicles Black American patriots who have been all but erased from the modern American consciousness. To the surprise of most American's today, many of these black patriots were not simply participants in the founding of the American Republic but played pivotal roles in history which contributed directly to the successful outcome of the American Revolution. His chronicle of black patriots include Crispus Attucks - America's First Martyr, James Armistead - a double agent for the patriot cause, Peter Salem, decisive sniper at Bunker Hill, and Prince Whipple at the Delaware Crossing.
Nell's work chronicles Black American patriots who have been all but erased from the modern American consciousness. To the surprise of most American's today, many of these black patriots were not simply participants in the founding of the American Republic but played pivotal roles in history which contributed directly to the successful outcome of the American Revolution. His chronicle of black patriots include Crispus Attucks - America's First Martyr, James Armistead - a double agent for the patriot cause, Peter Salem, decisive sniper at Bunker Hill, and Prince Whipple at the Delaware Crossing.
Nell’s work was eventually replaced in the schools by Democrat President Woodrow Wilson's History of the American People and its nod to the KKK. As a result generations of Americans, black and white, have never heard of the brave and influential African-American patriots prior to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 who helped establish the American Republic,
Just a few of the heroes that have been all but erased from history.
Just a few of the heroes that have been all but erased from history.
- The black patriots who were members of Ethan Allen’s famed Green Mountain Boys.
- The black patriot who was instrumental in disrupting the efforts of Benedict Arnold.
- The black patriot marksman and minuteman who was instrumental in making the British think twice after the Battle of Bunker Hill.
- The first black mayor in 1770.
- The black female entrepreneur that had a thriving Rhode Island real estate business.
- The successful black restaurateur who was sought out by the Queen of England for his exclusive menu.
- The first black property owner and architect in 1717
William Cooper Nell was a tireless laborer in the abolitionist fight. He was inspired by William Loyd Garrison's writings in The Liberator the newspaper for which he would work as a journalist and publisher. In 1855 he was paid by Garrison to travel throughout the Midwest to study and report on abolitionist efforts. His work with Garrison continued until The Liberator closed in 1865.
Nell studied law but was not admitted to the bar, since he refused to take an oath to the Constitution. Due to the influence of Garrison's teaching, Nell viewed the Constitution as a "slave document." This later put him at odds with Frederick Douglass, for whom he published The North Star from 1847 to 1851. Douglass, once a student of Garrison, began studying the Constitution for himself and came to the conclusion that the Constitution was not a slave document, but a document of liberty, Douglass strongly expresses this view in his famous speech "What to the Slave is your 4th of July?"
Nell studied law but was not admitted to the bar, since he refused to take an oath to the Constitution. Due to the influence of Garrison's teaching, Nell viewed the Constitution as a "slave document." This later put him at odds with Frederick Douglass, for whom he published The North Star from 1847 to 1851. Douglass, once a student of Garrison, began studying the Constitution for himself and came to the conclusion that the Constitution was not a slave document, but a document of liberty, Douglass strongly expresses this view in his famous speech "What to the Slave is your 4th of July?"
The "Crusading Black Abolitionist" fought for integration his entire adult life and openly condemned separate abolitionist organizations for blacks and whites. This view on integration drove him to dismantle the Massachusetts General Colored Association, an all-black abolitionist organization started by his father. He also publicly criticized Douglass' support for several all-black abolitionist organizations - yet another element that eventually lead to he and Frederick Douglass ceasing all contact by 1853.
The efforts of William Cooper Nell are almost too numerous to catalougue. His energy and volume of accomplishments are nearly unparalleled in the abolitionist history of America. This makes it all the more notable and shocking that his is not more widely heralded.
- He helped found the New England Freedom Association, the Adelphia Union and the Young Man's Literary Society of Boston.
- He was instrumental in the desegregation of the Boston Railroad in 1843 (20 years prior to the Emancipation Proclamation), performance halls in 1853 and he secured the desegregation of public schools in 1855.
- He created the Committee of Vigilance in Boston and worked in the Underground Railroad.
- He led the petition to build a monument to Crispus Attucks and caused the establishment of a Crispus Attucks Day in Boston.
- After the outrageous Dred Scott decision by the Supreme Court in 1857, he organized the Convention of Colored Citizens of New England.
- He pushed legislation to allow blacks into the militia and later into the Armed Forces.
- In 1861 he was hired as a postal clerk and became the first African American to hold a federal civilian post.
William Cooper Nell accomplished all of this before the age of 58 at which age he died of a stroke in 1874.
One would be hard pressed to disagree with William Lloyd Garrison's statement that "Perhaps no one has done so much - certainly no one has done more..." than William Cooper Nell in fight for freedom and justice FOR ALL.