William H. Topp to Frederick Douglass, September 3, 1849
WILLIAM H. TOPP TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Albany, [N.Y.] 3 September 1849.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS—
DEAR SIR:—
I am pleased with your suggestion of forming a “National League” of “colored” people, and I meant to have made known to you my thoughts upon it for two weeks gone, but failed doing so for want of convenience to commit them to paper. However, I hope you will not construe my tardiness into a feeling of indifference, for that is not my case. I have long since learned that the chief hindrance to success, in our various undertakings to better our condition, is, the divisions that exist amongst us, as a whole; and have held myself ready when anything feasible should be offered as a remedy, to take hold and be one to aid in carrying it into operation.
The questions, “How are we to heal our divisions?” “What are we to unite upon?” have not been satisfactorily answered. Some looked for one thing, some another, and yet nothing definite is acted upon.
What we lack is, not having a plan for general action, agreed upon, and well understood in every locality where lives a colored person. This we want, and must have, if we hope to work effectively. Perhaps something upon the plan of the “Irish Repeal Association”1In 1840 Irish politician Daniel O’Connell founded the Loyal National Repeal Association in Dublin. The organization raised funds to pursue the repeal of union between England and Ireland. Irish immigrants in the United States formed local Irish Repeal Associations, which sent money to the parent organization in Ireland. O’Connell, who supported the antislavery cause, prodded American repealers to support abolitionism; unfortunately, his antislavery rhetoric so alienated Irish Americans that all Irish Repeal Associations in the United States dissolved by the mid-1840s. Maurice R. O’Connell, “O’Connell, Young Ireland, and Negro Slavery: An Exercise in Romantic Nationalism,” Thought, 64:130–36 (June 1989); Osofsky, “Abolitionists, Irish Immigrants,” 901–06; Riach, “Daniel O’Connell,” 20–25; Connolly, Oxford Companion to Irish History, 481. might do, or let us have any system for the sustaining of which we can be induced to lay aside local and private interests—all sectional jealousies, and be enabled thereby to
bring into lively activity the energies of the entire people, directing them in the course which will best accomplish the ends desired.
The work, to my mind, appears to be of magnitude—yet it is possible to bring it out; but yourself must expect to perform the largest share. All will naturally direct their attention to you: you have suggested a plan, and will be depended upon to do most towards perfecting it.
I hope that during the week, we in this city will get something in a tangible shape, before a meeting, bearing upon this subject2The North Star contains no report of a public meeting in Albany to endorse the proposed National League.—which, when accomplished, will be forwarded to you for consideration, &c.
Yours, as ever,
WM. H. TOPP.
PLSr: NS, 7 September 1849.