Frederick Douglass (1818-95) was born into American slavery but escaped to tell his story and became a leader of the abolitionist movement. Did you know that the most photographed American man of the 19th century visited Lisburn?
Lisburn had its own small, but committed anti-slavery movement active from the late 1700s. Douglass spoke in 1st Presbyterian Church on Monday 29 December 1845.
Frederick Douglass (1818-95)
Public domain
Addressing the packed church, the Rev. Alexander Henderson welcomed Douglass. He stated that he was sure everyone present ‘had a heart to feel for the oppressed’. Furthermore, he said he knew they would do all they could to ‘have the wrongs of those who were held in cruel bondage redressed’.
Douglass spoke for one and a half hours on the horrors of American slavery, which he had experienced first hand. His lecture in Lisburn was one of 50 he gave during his tour of Ireland (1845-6).
1st Lisburn Presbyterian Church
ILC&LM Collection