Thomas Garrett (1789-1871) was a Quaker abolitionist and Underground Railroad operative who claimed to have assisted more than 2,000 freedom seekers over multiple decades. Working with Harriet Tubman and Philadelphia vigilance leader William Still, Garrett assisted freedom seekers from his Wilmington home northward to Philadelphia. In 1848, federal prosecutors convicted the abolitionist under the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act and fined him $5,400, but Garrett pledged to continue his Underground Railroad work. When Garrett died in 1871, Black residents of Wilmington came out in large numbers to pay their respects to the veteran abolitionist.
ESSAYS: Barker // Foner // Harrold // Larson / Sinha
ROLES: Abolitionist // UGRR Operative