BrewsterConnections - Brewster Academy

It was the mid-1830s and hard times had
fallen on New England. Wilson was unable
to find employment in nearby towns and
villages so he set out on foot from Farmington
to Boston – a journey of more than 100 miles.
He eventually found work as a shoemaker in
Natick, Massachusetts, where he planned to
save his wages to pay for a formal education.
Working for a cobbler didn’t return the wages he
needed, however, so Wilson went into business
for himself. He worked long hours and once
made nearly 50 pairs of shoes without sleeping
– typically a weeklong task.
In 1836, the railroad came to Natick and opened
markets beyond New England and especially
the South. Wilson began managing his own shoe
company, but after so much hard labor his body
needed relief. To give his body a break, he took
the railroad to Washington, D.C., a decision that
changed his life.
As the train passed through cities and towns,
Wilson had his first glimpse of hard-core
slavery. Upon his return to Natick, he resolved
to do everything he could for the anti-slavery
movement. As his shoe company prospered, he
found time for civic duties and was determined
to bring forth his dislike for slavery.
Formal education at the age of 24
In the autumn of 1836, Wilson traveled
back to New Hampshire and enrolled at the
Wolfeborough and Tuftonborough Academy,
which later became Brewster Academy. He
boarded with Samuel Avery, a Wolfeboro
businessman who encouraged and supported
Wilson’s education. During the winter term,
Wilson taught classes at a district school in South
Wolfeboro. Years later, as vice president of the
United States, Wilson visited Wolfeboro shortly
after the death of Samuel Avery and standing
in view of his old homestead and the school
building he stated to his friends: ”For all I am,
I am indebted to Mr. Avery. It was through his
influence and kindness I received my education
in the academy when I was without money and
discouraged, and when all others refused to aid
me.” (History Carroll Cty, p.375)
l www.brewsteracademy.org l
writing Brewster’s history
His anti-slavery campaign begins
Upon completion of his studies and his return to
Natick, Wilson joined debating societies, social
reform groups, and the Whig Party because of
its social reform message. The Whigs ran Wilson
repeatedly for office in the state legislature where
he held seats in both houses, but he
began to develop a dislike for Boston
aristocrats and southern plantation
owners who lived off the toil of
slaves. In 1848, Wilson abandoned
the Whig Party for the new Free Soil
Party.
In 1854, The Kansas-Nebraska
Act was passed, which allowed
slavery to expand into the West.
Wilson quickly called for “one great
Republican Party” in opposition to
the act. As candidate for governor
of Massachusetts, Wilson somehow
gathered enough support in the
new Republican Party to be elected to the U.S.
Senate by the Know-Nothings, Free Soilers, and
Democrats in the state legislature even though
he identified himself as a Republican. (Hatfield,
pp.233-239)
Serving as senator from Massachusetts
Once in the Senate, Wilson would serve there for
the remainder of his life. He would introduce
bills pushing for voting privileges for women
and other social reforms. As the nation gradually
split over the slavery issue, Wilson was able to
bring the case for anti-slavery to the common
man. His oratory focused on making a clear case
with facts, evidence, and data.
When war broke in 1861, Wilson was appointed
chairman of the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs. His most compelling duty was to
facilitate the enlistment of forces into the
northern armies.
As a Radical Republican, Wilson introduced bills
that freed the slaves in the District of Columbia,
permitted African-Americans to join the Union
Army and provided equal pay to black and
”For all I am, I am
indebted to Mr. Avery.
It was through his
influence and kindness
I received my education
in the academy when I
was without money and
discouraged, and when
all others refused to aid
me.”