Smith, Gerrit (1797-1874) to William Henry Seward
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04717.21 Author/Creator: Smith, Gerrit (1797-1874) Place Written: Peterboro, New York Type: Printed letter Date: 13 March 1855 Pagination: 2 p. ; 24.9 x 19.2 cm. Order a Copy
Smith writes to Seward, a United States Senator from New York. Praises Seward's intellectualism and philanthropic spirit. Notes that Seward's recent speech on the Fugitive Slave Act "does not, in all respects, come up to my expectation of what would fall from you on such as occasion." Questions Seward's dedication to abolition. In closing, writes "I own, that you stand, as an antislavery man, very far above most of our statesmen. But I would have you stand still farther above them."
Smith, a politician from New York, served as a U.S. Representative from 1853-1854. He was a noted philanthropist and social reformer active in anti-slavery campaigns and women's rights.
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