“Never respect men merely for their riches, but rather for their philanthropy; we do not value the sun for its height, but for its use”
Born at Mount Holly, New Jersey, on December 3, 1807, Gamaliel Bailey set out from his youth to be trained in the art of medicine. Just before his twentieth birthday, Gamaliel graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Later, Mr. Bailey combined his passion for medicine with another for writing and journalism. In 1831 he became the editor for the “Methodist Protestant.” Not long after moving to Cincinatti, Ohio, Gamaliel opened his own medical practice and began to teach upon the subject of physiology at Lane Theological Seminary.
While present at Lane Theological Seminary, Gamaliel was exposed to ongoing debates between the faculty and students concerning the institution of slavery. Upon much personal consideration, Gamaliel adopted the abolitionist ideals for himself and joined the staff of the “Philanthropist,” an abolitionist newspaper.
A year later, in 1837, Mr. Bailey assumed the role of editor, a postion he would retain for the next decade. His views on abolition and slavery did not go unnoticed and Gamaliel endured numerous threats to his life from the abolitionist opposition. Such threats were not in word only as on three occasions, the threats turned into actual violence as the Philanthropist office was broken into and the printing press destroyed.
Through his news press and political contexts, Gamaliel Bailey understood that politics could be a useful weapon against slavery. With his help in 1840, the Liberty Party was born and was joined by many prominent abolitionists. Gamaliel Bailey was selected as the Liberty Party’s Presidential candidate during the election of 1840. The party and candidacy were poorly organized however and was soon after diluted by the retreat of numerous members to other, more successful parties.
Determined to overcome such defeat, Gamaliel moved to Washington D.C. and once again enlisted in the propaganda campaign against slavery. As the editor of the “National Era,” Gamaliel was the first editor to publish Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
Gamaliel’s health began to decline shortly thereafter and while he was traveling across the Atlantic towards Europe, he succumbed to his illness on June 5, 1859.
Further Reading
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