West Relief Church
Frederick Douglass was joined here by three other important abolitionist campaigners: George Thompson, Henry Clarke Wright, and James Buffum.
The meeting was so popular, another was held at the United Secession Church (at the Abbey Close) at the same time!
The speakers strongly believed that the Free Church of Scotland should return all money they had gained from slavery.
Minister Rev. John MacNaughtan, of Orr Square Free Church, described Douglass as an: ‘ignorant runaway slave who had picked up a few sentences.’
Above: West Relief Church (subsequently known as a United Presbyterian Church). Please note the church is currently being renovated and is best viewed from Canal Street.
Frederick Douglass responded in one of his speeches saying: 'The man who enjoys his share of the three thousand pounds taken from the slaveholder, and robbed from the slave, stands up to denounce me as being ignorant. Shame on him.'
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Quotes from other speakers of the day:
The Free Church of Scotland ought to send back the money obtained from the slaveholders of the United States. George Thompson
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'Slaves were punished with stripes, imprisonment, and death, for teaching their children to read the bible' Henry Clarke Wright
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'Of all the meetings at I have been present, this has been the most interesting. I can breathe, as it were, more freely than usual.' James Buffum
Glossary
Ignorant - lacks knowledge or education. In this instance, Minister Rev MacNaughtan is saying Frederick Douglass is not very clever and doesn't know what he's talking about.
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Runaway Slave - A person who was a slave but was able to escape. Unfortunately, those who were able to escape were seen as 'lost property' of the slaveholder rather than free by those who supported slavery.
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Slaveholder– Someone who owns people as their own property.
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Stripes – To be hit with a rod, whip or something similar.
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Click on the Walking Tour Map button below to access the Frederick Douglass Walking Tour Google Map and explore some of the places Frederick Douglass spoke in Paisley.
Image Credits
West Relief Church by © Laura Hamilton.
John MacNaughtan, 1807-1884. Of Paisley and Belfast; Free Church minister [a] [detail]. Robert Adamson & David Octavius Hill. National Galleries of Scotland
Henry Clark Wright, created by Antoine Claudet, scanned by BPL - Henry Clarke WrightUploaded by Trycatch, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9445977
George Thompson , created by unknown, scanned by BPL - George Thompson Uploaded by Trycatch, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9687435
James Buffum, by Unknown author - Semi-centennial of incorporation: events and exercises of the 50th year By Lynn (Mass.). Celebration Committee 1900 p 64, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47515731