THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT - The University of Texas at Arlington

invigorated by the victories of 1833 and 1838, established the British and Foreign Anti-
Slavery Society (BFASS), which boldly proclaimed its commitment to universal
abolition. American abolitionists lauded the British example and imagined the potential
benefits to their cause. “If we are able to judge of its future proceedings by which it has
characterized its first movements,” one editorialist noted, “ we may hope great things —
that the pure rays of liberty . . . will from henceforth spread far and wide.” 7 Within
weeks, British abolitionists proposed an international anti-slavery meeting for the
following year in London, sending out a broadly-worded invitation to “the friends of the
slave of every nation and every clime.” 8
Between 1838 and 1839, in addition to the BFASS, British abolitionists
established two other new national organizations targeting the universal abolition of
slavery. As discussed in the last chapter, the British India Society was established in
1838 by Joseph Pease and George Thompson. The third national association, the African
Civilization Society (ACS), was founded by Thomas Fowell Buxton in 1839. The ACS
pledged to eradicate the foreign slave trade and promote legitimate commerce, education,
and Christianity in Africa. Of the three British societies established in 1838-1839, the
ACS had the lowest level of female participation. Only 23 of the initial 361 subscribers
were female. Still, women were involved at the local level, disseminating information
and recruiting female subscribers to the organization. 9 The establishment of the BFASS,
7 Liberator, June 14, 1839. Emphasis in original.
8 Liberator, October 11, 1839.
9 Midgley, Women against Slavery, 121-122.
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