Arthur Tappan
Encyclopedia
Arthur Tappan was an American
abolitionist. He was the brother of Senator
Benjamin Tappan
, and abolitionist Lewis Tappan
.
.
In 1826, Arthur and his brother Lewis moved to New York City, a center of business and retail trade, and established a silk
importing business. In 1827, the brothers founded the New York Journal of Commerce
with Samuel F.B. Morse. Arthur and Lewis Tappan
were successful businessmen, but commerce was never their foremost interest. They viewed making money as less important than saving souls. They made The Journal of Commerce a publication free of “immoral advertisements.” Both men suffered in the Anti-abolitionist riots (1834)
, in which anti-abolitionist mobs attacked their property. Arthur Tappan was one of two signatories who issued a disclaimer on behalf of the Society in the aftermath of the riots, emphasising its dedication to abolishing slavery within the existing laws of the United States.
The Panic of 1837
forced the Tappans to close their silk-importing business, and almost scuttled their paper, but the brothers persevered. In the 1840s, they founded another lucrative business enterprise when they opened the first commercial credit-rating service, the The Mercantile Agency, a predecessor of Dun and Bradstreet.
The Tappan brothers made their mark in commerce and in abolitionism
. Throughout their careers, the Tappans devoted time and money to philanthropic causes as diverse as temperance, the abolition of slavery, and the establishment of theological seminaries and educational institutions, such as Oberlin
and Kenyon
colleges in Ohio. Their beliefs about observing Sabbath extended to campaigns against providing stagecoach service and mail deliveries on Sundays.
In the early 1830s, while a principal owner of The Journal of Commerce, Arthur Tappan allied with and co-founded the American Anti-Slavery Society
. Arthur served as its first president until 1840, when he resigned based on his opposition to the society's new support of women's suffrage
and feminism
.
Continuing their support for abolition, Arthur and his brother founded the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society
in 1840, and the in 1846. After the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
was passed, Tappan refused to comply with the new law and donated moneys to the Underground Railroad
. The brothers' positions on the slavery issue were not universally popular. In early July 1834, Lewis Tappan’s New York home was sacked by a mob, who threw his furniture into the street and burned it.
The Tappans and The Journal of Commerce attracted bitter criticism for their campaign to free the Africans who had taken over the slave ship Amistad
in 1839. James Gordon Bennett, Sr.
’s rival New York Morning Herald
denounced “the humbug doctrines of the abolitionists and the miserable fanatics who propagate them,” particularly Lewis Tappan and The Journal of Commerce.
Arthur Tappan died in 1865, Lewis in 1873. Both men lived long enough to see the Emancipation Proclamation
grant freedom to millions of African Americans in the South and presage the end of slavery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
abolitionist. He was the brother of Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Benjamin Tappan
Benjamin Tappan
Benjamin Tappan was an Ohio judge and Democratic politician who served in the Ohio State Senate and the United States Senate...
, and abolitionist Lewis Tappan
Lewis Tappan
Lewis Tappan was a New York abolitionist who worked to achieve the freedom of the illegally enslaved Africans of the Amistad. Contacted by Connecticut abolitionists soon after the Amistad arrived in port, Tappan focused extensively on the captive Africans...
.
Biography
Born in Northampton, to a devoutly Calvinist family, Tappan moved to Boston at the age of 15. In 1807 he established a dry goods business in Portland, MainePortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
.
In 1826, Arthur and his brother Lewis moved to New York City, a center of business and retail trade, and established a silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
importing business. In 1827, the brothers founded the New York Journal of Commerce
The Journal of Commerce
The Journal of Commerce is a weekly magazine published in the United States that focuses on trade topics. First published in 1827, the Journal has a circulation of approximately 15,000...
with Samuel F.B. Morse. Arthur and Lewis Tappan
Lewis Tappan
Lewis Tappan was a New York abolitionist who worked to achieve the freedom of the illegally enslaved Africans of the Amistad. Contacted by Connecticut abolitionists soon after the Amistad arrived in port, Tappan focused extensively on the captive Africans...
were successful businessmen, but commerce was never their foremost interest. They viewed making money as less important than saving souls. They made The Journal of Commerce a publication free of “immoral advertisements.” Both men suffered in the Anti-abolitionist riots (1834)
Anti-abolitionist riots (1834)
The Anti-abolitionist riots of 1834, also known simplistically as the Farren Riots, occurred in New York City over a series of four nights, beginning on July 7, 1834...
, in which anti-abolitionist mobs attacked their property. Arthur Tappan was one of two signatories who issued a disclaimer on behalf of the Society in the aftermath of the riots, emphasising its dedication to abolishing slavery within the existing laws of the United States.
The Panic of 1837
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...
forced the Tappans to close their silk-importing business, and almost scuttled their paper, but the brothers persevered. In the 1840s, they founded another lucrative business enterprise when they opened the first commercial credit-rating service, the The Mercantile Agency, a predecessor of Dun and Bradstreet.
The Tappan brothers made their mark in commerce and in abolitionism
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
. Throughout their careers, the Tappans devoted time and money to philanthropic causes as diverse as temperance, the abolition of slavery, and the establishment of theological seminaries and educational institutions, such as Oberlin
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and Kenyon
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
colleges in Ohio. Their beliefs about observing Sabbath extended to campaigns against providing stagecoach service and mail deliveries on Sundays.
In the early 1830s, while a principal owner of The Journal of Commerce, Arthur Tappan allied with and co-founded the American Anti-Slavery Society
American Anti-Slavery Society
The American Anti-Slavery Society was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass was a key leader of this society and often spoke at its meetings. William Wells Brown was another freed slave who often spoke at meetings. By 1838, the society had...
. Arthur served as its first president until 1840, when he resigned based on his opposition to the society's new support of women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
and feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
.
Continuing their support for abolition, Arthur and his brother founded the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society
American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society
The American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society split off from the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1840 over a number of issues, including the increasing influence of anarchism , hostility to established religion, and feminism in the latter...
in 1840, and the in 1846. After the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened...
was passed, Tappan refused to comply with the new law and donated moneys to the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. The brothers' positions on the slavery issue were not universally popular. In early July 1834, Lewis Tappan’s New York home was sacked by a mob, who threw his furniture into the street and burned it.
The Tappans and The Journal of Commerce attracted bitter criticism for their campaign to free the Africans who had taken over the slave ship Amistad
La Amistad
La Amistad was a ship notable as the scene of a revolt by African captives being transported from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba. It was a 19th-century two-masted schooner built in Spain and owned by a Spaniard living in Cuba...
in 1839. James Gordon Bennett, Sr.
James Gordon Bennett, Sr.
James Gordon Bennett, Sr. was the founder, editor and publisher of the New York Herald and a major figure in the history of American newspapers.-Biography:...
’s rival New York Morning Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
denounced “the humbug doctrines of the abolitionists and the miserable fanatics who propagate them,” particularly Lewis Tappan and The Journal of Commerce.
Arthur Tappan died in 1865, Lewis in 1873. Both men lived long enough to see the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
grant freedom to millions of African Americans in the South and presage the end of slavery.
External links
- Biography of Tappan from Spartacus Educational
- Biography from InfoPlease
- The Liberator Files, Items concerning Arthur Tappan from Horace Seldon's collection and summary of research of William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator original copies at the Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts.