Anti-slavery Medal, Great Britain, 1834

Anti-slavery Medal, Great Britain, 1834

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Description (Brief)
One (1) anti-slavery medal
Great Britain, 1834
Obverse Image: Chained slave kneeling.
Obverse Text: AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER / A VOICE FROM GREAT BRITAIN TO AMERICA / 1834
Reverse Image: Chained slave kneeing on a rock.
Reverse Text: BRITISH & FOREIGN ANTI SLAVERY SOCIETY / AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER / DAVIS / BERM.
Description
This silver medal cast by Joseph Davis was produced in 1834 by the British & Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. Sculptor, Henry Webber, initially designed the image of the kneeling enslaved person with chained, outstretched hands, for the ceramic medallions produced by Josiah Wedgwood & Co. in 1787. The accompanying text, “Am I not a man and a brother?” was added to highlight the cruel treatment of slaves and invoke accounts of abuse in the abolitionist literature. Though England abolished slavery in 1833 – a year before the silver medal’s production – slavery continued in the United States until the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865.
Object Name
Medal
Other Terms
Medal; Commemorative; Commemorative
date made
1834
associated date
1834
place made
United Kingdom: Grand Bretagne
associated place
United Kingdom: Grand Bretagne
location where used
United States
Physical Description
silver (overall material)
struck 1 (overall production method/technique)
Measurements
overall:.3 cm x 4.39 cm; 1/8 in x 1 23/32 in
medal: 4.37 cm; x 1 3/4 in
ID Number
NU.74.73.59
catalog number
74.73.59
accession number
315111
Credit Line
S. A. Peerless
See more items in
Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
Many Voices, One Nation
Exhibition
Many Voices, One Nation
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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