Reverend Nathaniel Paul An Albany Black History Legend
When we look back to see what African-Americans were dominant in the history of Albany, New York, Reverend Nathaniel Paul is one name that stands out.
Historians are not exactly certain when Reverend Paul was born, they estimate that he was born around 1793. Reverend Paul was born free in New Hampshire, along with his five brothers. His father was a Baptist minister and Reverend Nathaniel Paul along with several of his brothers, followed in his father’s footsteps to become ministers.
According to blackpast.org Reverend Nathaniel Paul is best known for being a minister and an abolitionist. When he arrived in Albany, he did extraordinary work with the Underground Railroad with travelers who went on to freedom in Canada.
He worked with several organizations to educate Black people in Albany. He was the founder and leader of the Union Society of Albany for Improvement of the Colored People in Morals, Education and Mechanic Arts.
Reverend Paul was passionate about his work as an abolitionist. He traveled around giving speeches. In 1827 he gave a speech that was published in an abolitionist journal. In the part of the speech he says, “The Lordly Planter who has his thousands in bondage, may stretch himself upon his couch of ivory and sneer at the exertion which are made by the humane and the benevolent, or he may take a stand up on the floor of Congress, and mark the pitiful generosity of the east or west or daring to meddle with the subject, and attempting to exposes its injustice: he may threaten to resist all efforts for general or partial emancipation even to a dissolution of the union. But I still declare that slavery will be extinct; universal and not partial emancipation must take place; nor is the period for distant.”
This speech alone shows the bravery and commitment of Reverend Nathaniel Paul. Reverend Paul demonstrates that there are many heroes in the African-American community, and we cannot learn about all of them and just 28 days.
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