Moses Brown Quotes
Had the Sally never sailed, I should have been preserved from an Evil, which has given me the most uneasiness, and has left the greatest impression and stain upon my Conduct in life...
The Sally was a ship that belonged to his family business that engaged in a slave trading voyage where many slaves were killed. It was a traumatic experience for Moses Brown and he became a staunch abolitionist and in this letter persuaded other Rhode Island merchants to avoid the slave trade. See {641478} and {585793}.
Moses Brown, 1738–1836, Industrialist & Abolitionist, Letter to Fellow Merchants John Clark and Joseph Nightingale, 1783
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His family was one of the wealthiest in Rhode Island. He called in the entire family and he formally read the deed. The family itself had actually been active in the slave trade under John, his oldest brother, so this deed was very shocking to them. Moses became a leading abolitionist in Rhode Island and John the major defender of slavery in the state. Despite that, the brothers actually remained close.
The Sally was owned by Nicholas Brown and Company and this voyage was financially unsuccessful with 109 out of 196 slaves dying in board. Brown, of the family that founded Brown University, was discouraged by this voyage and withdrew from the slave trading business. See {641475}. American naval hero, John Paul Jones, served under Hopkins in the American Revolution.
Moses Brown was an American abolitionist and industrialist from New England, who funded the design and construction of some of the first factory houses for spinning machines during the American industrial revolution, including Slater Mill. He co-founded Brown University.
