Abolitionism at Western Reserve College

Hudson, Ohio, served as the backdrop for activist John Brown’s anti-slavery mission, and the campus of Western Reserve College was a hub for abolitionist activity. Notably, the Cleveland Anti-Slavery Society took shape in response to Western Reserve President Charles Storrs, an outspoken abolitionist, making a speech in May 1833. The society’s constitution referred to the group as an “auxiliary to the ‘Western Reserve Anti-Slavery Society.’â€