06/18/2026
The following post is in honor of the upcoming Juneteenth Holiday, which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.
You may have heard of such worthy and notable American Abolitionists as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth and others; but most people have never heard of the unsung American Abolitionist Charles Turner Torrey.
Facts about Charles Turner Torrey:
*Lived from November 21, 1813 - May 9, 1846
*Pushed for and established one of the first highly organized lines for the Underground Railroad
*Worked with free blacks and was one of the first to consider them partners in the Abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad
*Helped found the Liberty Party of the 1840s which was paramount in establishing a direct political movement to end slavery through elections
*Died in prison after being convicted of stealing slaves(and setting them free) on the same day that his pardon arrived from the Governor's office
*His death lead to the abolitionist battle cry "Torrey's blood crieth out"
Most well known abolitionists are credited with personally freeing between 50 and 80 slaves individually. Charles Turner Torrey is credited with freeing more than 400 slaves. That's more than any other American abolitionist is credited with freeing.
Charles Turner Torrey (November 21, 1813 – May 9, 1846) was a leading American abolitionist. Although largely lost to historians until recently, Torrey pushed the abolitionist movement to more political and aggressive strategies, including setting up one of the first highly organized lines for the...
