James
Birney
was
born in Danville, Kentucky on 4th February, 1792. A lawyer, after
working in Danville, he was elected to the Kentucky Legislature in
1816. Two years later he moved to Alabama where he was elected to
the Alabama Legislature in 1819. A strong opponent of slavery, Birley
started his own newspaper, the Philanthropist.
A member of the American Anti-Slavery
Society, Birney was elected as executive secretary in 1837. Unlike
William Lloyd Garrison, he believed
that the organization should concentrate on political action. Three
years later he travelled to England where he was appointed
vice president of the World
Slavery Convention.
His book, The
American Churches, the Bulwarks of American Slavery,
was published in 1840.
In 1840 the Liberty Party selected Birley
as its presidential candidate, but won only 7,000 votes. Four years
later this was increased to 62,300 votes. James
Birney
died in Eagleswood, New Jersey, on 25th November, 1857.
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