David Ruggles and the New York Committee of Vigilance

When many Americans think about antislavery activists, we think of a few famous heroes, like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and William Lloyd Garrison. But antislavery work was done by thousands of people who are now largely forgotten: enslaved people who freed themselves and the people who helped them in their journeys. This talk by Isaac Kolding focuses on the life of one extraordinary man, David Ruggles, the founder of the New York Committee of Vigilance, which helped ferry freedom seekers to safety. Audiences will learn about the gritty, dangerous world of antislavery activism in 1830s New York City through stories of Ruggles’ daring exploits.

Isaac Kolding is a PhD candidate, teacher, and writer living in Buffalo, NY. His research, which focuses on abolitionism, political rhetoric, and nineteenth-century American literature, has been published in journals like American Literature and American Literary Realism.

This talk will take place in the museum's herb cellar, which is accessed using stairs.

Tickets are $10/ea. and will go on sale on September 1, 2024.

Host or Publisher Van Cortlandt House Museum