A Journey in Brazil
Henry Washington Hilliard and the Brazilian Anti-Slavery Society

David I. Durham (Author), Paul M. Pruitt Jr. (Author)

9781941921005

Paperback / softback, published 30 May 2017

168 pages, 9 black & white figures
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.525 kg

[Durham and Pruitt] have assembled a useful resource by including the published correspondence between Hillard and Nabuco, as well as a transcript of speeches given at an abolitionist dinner thrown in Hillard's honor. Taken together, the volume tells a surprising story that should contribute to our understanding of Atlantic world abolitionism."" - Journal of Southern History

A Journey in Brazil: Henry Washington Hilliard and the Brazilian Anti-Slavery Society is an investigative account of the vital career of Henry Washington Hilliard, who had a long and complicated relationship with slavery. A native Southerner, he was a former slave owner and Confederate soldier, but as a member of Congress Hilliard strongly opposed secession. Hilliard supported the constitutional legality of slavery; however, as a moderate he acknowledged the status quo and warned of the dangers of radical positions concerning the issue.
 
Throughout a diverse career that spanned six decades, Hilliard’s personal challenges, moderated by his faith in Divine Providence, eventually allowed him to return to his ideological roots and find a sense of redemption late in life by becoming an unlikely spokesman for the Brazilian emancipation movement through his association with Joaquim Nabuco. In A Journey in Brazil, authors David I. Durham and Paul M. Pruitt Jr. establish context for Hilliard’s beliefs, document his journey in Brazil, and offer a variety of primary documents—selections from newspapers, transcripts of letters, translations of speeches, and other documents that have never before been published.