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Associated Title
Book: The Gallery of Illustrious Americans
Artist
Francis D'Avignon, 29 Oct 1813 - c. 1871
Copy after
Spiridione Gambardella, active 1842 - 1868
Sitter
William Ellery Channing, 7 Apr 1780 - 2 Oct 1842
Date
1850
Type
Print
Medium
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions
Image: 28.1 x 24.5 cm (11 1/16 x 9 5/8")
Sheet: 40.2 x 31.7 cm (15 13/16 x 12 1/2")
Topic
William Ellery Channing: Male
William Ellery Channing: Literature\Writer
William Ellery Channing: Religion and Spirituality\Clergy\Pastor
William Ellery Channing: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Abolitionist
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.77.72
Exhibition Label
The minister William Ellery Channing was one of the most vocal advocates of what became known as Unitarianism. Channing, who embraced human dignity and freedom of will, devoted time to social reform causes, including temperance, the alleviation of poverty, and education. His work influenced figures such as the senator Charles Sumner, the educator Horace Mann, and the mental health advocate Dorothea Dix.
Channing was initially cautious about voicing his antislavery beliefs, but he eventually published several volumes on the topic. Through these writings, he offended Southern enslavers, Boston industrialists, and abolitionists alike. Many other antislavery advocates were appalled by his argument that enslavers should determine the conditions of freedom for the previously enslaved. This, they contended, would grant former enslavers continued power over freed individuals.
Channing’s name appears in two of Washington’s quadrants: the street named for him crosses over North Capitol Street in Northeast and then reappears in Northwest.
El ministro William Ellery Channing fue uno de los defensores más elocuentes de la corriente del unitarismo. Respetuoso de la dignidad humana y el libre albedrío, laboró por causas de reforma social como la sobriedad, el alivio de la pobreza y la educación. Su obra influyó en figuras tales como el senador Charles Sumner, el educador Horace Mann y la defensora de la salud mental Dorothea Dix.
En un principio, Channing tuvo cautela en divulgar sus creencias antiesclavistas, pero luego publicó varios volúmenes sobre el tema, ofendiendo por igual a los esclavistas sureños, a los industriales de Boston y a los abolicionistas. Muchos antiesclavistas vieron con horror su argumento de que los esclavizadores debían establecer las condiciones para la libertad de los esclavizados. Esto, según sus oponentes, perpetuaría el poder de los esclavistas sobre los liberados.
El nombre de Channing aparece en dos cuadrantes de Washington, pues su calle cruza la Calle North Capitol en el noreste y reaparece en el noroeste.
