{"id":2473,"date":"2012-02-18T13:59:03","date_gmt":"2012-02-18T18:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cf-staging.takewalks.com\/blog2\/?p=2473"},"modified":"2023-06-28T04:22:14","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T08:22:14","slug":"david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter","title":{"rendered":"David Ruggles &#8211; NYC&#8217;s first Black Freedom Fighter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">An African American defies discrimination, refusing to leave his seat on a train.&nbsp; He is forced out, and later sues the railway.&nbsp; Amazingly, this occurred in <em><strong>1841<\/strong><\/em>\u2026114 years before <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rosa_Parks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Rosa Parks<\/strong><\/a> would not be moved.&nbsp; The courageous man was <strong>David Ruggles<\/strong>, a major figure in the <strong>American antislavery movement<\/strong> and the nation\u2019s <strong>first black journalist and printer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ruggles was born in Connecticut in 1810 to free black parents.&nbsp; He <strong>arrived in NYC in 1827<\/strong> (the year New York abolished slavery), 17 years old, brash, educated, and seemingly fearless.&nbsp; After a stint as a mariner, he opened his own grocery store, which he turned into the nation\u2019s <strong>first black bookshop<\/strong>.&nbsp; It was attacked and burned by a white mob.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ruggles soon became involved in the city\u2019s abolitionist movement, writing hundreds of antislavery editorials, letters and pamphlets advocating \u201cpractical abolitionism,\u201d which included civil disobedience and self-defense.&nbsp; He urged,\u201d let us in every case of oppression and wrong, inflicted on our brethren, prove our sincerity, by alleviating their sufferings, affording them protection, giving them council, and\u2026prove ourselves practical abolitionists.\u201d&nbsp; Ruggles also advocated bringing more women into the movement.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2478\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2478\" style=\"width: 261px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter\/ruggles-home\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2478\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2478\" title=\"36 Lispenard St\" alt=\"36 Lispenard St\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ruggles-home-600x735.jpg\" width=\"271\" height=\"323\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2478\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">36 Lispenard St today Photo: Author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">From his home at <strong>36 Lispenard Street<\/strong>, he opened another bookstore and circulating library (blacks were restricted from \u201cReading Rooms\u201d), which became a hub for abolitionists.&nbsp; He operated the <strong>first black-owned printing press<\/strong> and published his own works, including Mirror of Liberty, the <strong>first black magazine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ruggles did more than promote assistance &#8211; his home was a station on the <strong>Underground Railroad<\/strong>, the network that sheltered slaves escaping to freedom.&nbsp; Ruggles estimated he guided <strong>600 slaves<\/strong>, including a troubled young runaway named Frederick Bailey.&nbsp; During Bailey\u2019s stay, Ruggles educated him about abolitionism, shared his library, and even hosted Bailey\u2019s wedding.&nbsp; Ruggles gave Bailey a letter of recommendation and a five-dollar bill when he left the city.&nbsp; Once established in Massachusetts, Bailey began a new life with a new name &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fredrick_Douglass\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Frederick Douglass<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">NYC was a dangerous place for blacks in the early 19th Century.&nbsp; Slave catchers (known as \u201cblackbirders\u201d) roamed the streets looking for runaway slaves, and often kidnapped blacks off the street (fugitives and free) to be sold into captivity.&nbsp; To combat this, Ruggles helped organize the <strong>New York Committee of Vigilance<\/strong>, an integrated group that protected blacks, physically and legally.&nbsp; He demanded the city grant jury trials for the abducted, and obtained lawyers for them.&nbsp; This was dangerous work, and Ruggles was often beaten and jailed.&nbsp; Despite the personal cost, he would not be deterred.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2483\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2483\" style=\"width: 376px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter\/ruggles-plaque\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2483\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2483\" title=\"Ruggles plaque\" alt=\"Ruggles plaque\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ruggles-plaque-600x433.jpg\" width=\"386\" height=\"279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ruggles-plaque-600x433.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ruggles-plaque-1024x739.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ruggles-plaque.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2483\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A notable example of Ruggles\u2019 protection was the Darg Case, in which he intervened between Darg and his slave, who sought asylum in NYC.&nbsp; When Ruggles refused to turn over the fugitive, Darg charged him with grand larceny, and the press portrayed the Committee as extortionists.&nbsp; In another case, Ruggles had a ship captain arrested for slave trading.&nbsp; The captain, a slave catcher, and a police officer tried to abduct Ruggles from his home and ship him south for sale into slavery.&nbsp; Frustrated by Ruggles&#8217; escape, the captain demanded Ruggles\u2019 arrest on grounds that he resembled a runaway slave.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The stress and beatings took a toll on Ruggles\u2019 health, and by the age of 28 he suffered from severe intestinal disorders and was almost blind.&nbsp; In 1842 for left NYC for Florence, Massachusetts, where he helped establish &#8220;a depot for fugitives\u201d and a place of &#8220;equal brotherhood.\u201d&nbsp; He died of a bowel infection in 1849.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">During his short life, Ruggles inspired many abolitionists, including <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/William_Cooper_Nell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">William Cooper Nell<\/a>,<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sojourner_Truth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Sojourner Truth<\/a>, and of course, <strong>Frederick<\/strong> <strong>Douglass<\/strong>, who eulogized Ruggles saying, \u201cHe has literally worn himself out in humanity\u2019s struggle\u2026his loss is irreparable.&nbsp; We look in vain for another to fill his place.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2477\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2477\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter\/wk-at370_books2_g_20100325154609\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2477\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2477\" title=\"Cartoon of Darg Case\" alt=\"Cartoon of Darg Case\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/WK-AT370_BOOKS2_G_20100325154609.jpg\" width=\"553\" height=\"369\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2477\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cartoon of Darg Case<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> &#8230; <a title=\"David Ruggles &#8211; NYC&#8217;s first Black Freedom Fighter\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter\" aria-label=\"More on David Ruggles &#8211; NYC&#8217;s first Black Freedom Fighter\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":2476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[722],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>David Ruggles - NYC&#039;s First Black Freedom Fighter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A profile of David Ruggles, an early abolitionist and the nation&#039;s first black journalist and printer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"David Ruggles - NYC&#039;s First Black Freedom Fighter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A profile of David Ruggles, an early abolitionist and the nation&#039;s first black journalist and printer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Walks Tours Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/walkstours\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-02-18T18:59:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-28T08:22:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/MAAP_DavidRuggles_Then_820.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"820\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"843\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Harry He\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@walks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@walks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Harry He\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/david-ruggles-nycs-first-black-freedom-fighter\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Harry He\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e39a16ee66cb15d3cb91755178a6a3c7\"},\"headline\":\"David Ruggles &#8211; 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