Created in 1840, the National Anti-Slavery Standard helped contribute to the fight against slavery in the United States all the way until the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and beyond.
Indeed, the Standard did not cease publication until 1870, with the passing of the 15th Amendment which effectively granted African Americans the right to vote.
The National Anti-Slavery Standard dickenson.edu
The Standard was created by the husband-wife team of Lydia and David Child, who were both affirmed abolitionists, as well as being writers in their own right. (Lydia Child was the author of the poem “over the river and through the woods”)
Using the motto “Without Concealment—Without Compromise.” the Standard sought to extend the rights of slaves all across the country. With perhaps the exception of William Lloyd Garrison’s Liberator, the Standard was the most influential voice for abolition leading up to the Civil War.
When the war ended in 1865, however, the Standard continued to advocate for the rights of not only former slaves, but women’s suffrage as well.
An arm of the American Anti-Slavery Society, which also published Garrison’s Liberator, the Standard was able to fall on many resources to ensure publication and continue networking. It also attracted popular contributors, such as former slave Frederick Douglass.
With the passing of the 15th Amendment the Standard gave up its thirty year run. However, it was able to contribute to other causes being taken up by the press in the United States.
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