The Abolitionist’s Refrain

Written by Michael Cormier

As the Civil War comes to an end Poet and Abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier celebrates the 13th Amendment that brings an end to slavery. After his initial jubilation, Whittier begins to grasp the true cost of the War. A returning Union soldier and African American poet help him see that abolishing slavery brings new challenges to a divided and wounded nation. Exhausted by decades of fighting to end slavery, Whittier is at a moral crossroad.

“Peace hath higher tests of manhood, than battle every knew.” John Greenleaf Whittier