ALS, signed "John G. Whittier," three pages on two adjoining sheets, 4 x 6.25, March 9, [no year]. Handwritten letter to Amasa Walker, mentioning Harriet Beecher Stowe and asking for his assistant in the abolition movement. In part: "A thousand thanks for thy admirable critique…upon Kirk & Mrs. Stowe. I don't like however to name the two together as I have no faith in Kirk." He writes that he has started a letter and contacted people in Boston to follow it up, "get Whigs & Democrats to sign, and by means of the Anti-Nebraska feeling virtually nullify the fugitive slave law. What say? Will thee aid in this movement? Whatever is done must be done at once." Affixed to a slightly larger page and in very good to fine condition, with some light staining and creasing.
John Greenleaf Whittier was an ardent abolitionist poet whose works often condemned slavery. He fiercely opposed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which mandated the return of escaped slaves to their owners. Whittier's poetry, like 'Ichabod,' sharply criticized politicians who supported such legislation, contributing much to the anti-slavery movement in the United States.
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