In 1842, Black Rhode Islanders secured a stunning victory, a success rarely seen in antebellum America: they won the right to vote. On Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 5:30pm, the Rhode Island Historical will host author CJ Martin for the book talk The Precious Birthright at the John Brown House Museum. This lecture tells the fascinating story of a deeply meaningful movement that has been largely forgotten in the story of Rhode Island, Black American history, and voting rights history. Most importantly, Black leaders tell their own story in The Precious Birthright, and theirs becomes part of a broader conversation that includes the abolitionist movement, citizenship in a republic, civil and political rights, and the role that race has played in our politics. The only instance before the Civil War in which a state re-enfranchised Black men it had previously barred from voting.
A faculty member at the College of the Holy Cross, CJ Martin is a historian who focuses on Black history and pays particular attention to the abolitionist movement and the politics of anti-slavery. He teaches courses that run the gamut of African American history, and centers Black Americans’ struggles for justice, from slavery and abolition to Black Lives Matter. CJ maintains a public focus and has consulted with public history and social justice organizations and museums. He has published articles in Rhode Island History and Commonplace among other public history outlets.
CJ Martin’s book The Precious Birthright: Black Leaders and the Right to Vote in Antebellum Rhode Island (October 2024, UMass Press) will be available for purchase and the event will conclude with a book signing. Doors open at 4:30pm for a complimentary reception. Admission to The Precious Birthright costs $10 per person, and $5 for RIHS members. A combo admission ticket + a copy of the book is available for $47.40, or $38.66 for members (prices include sales tax). Advance tickets are recommended as space is limited to 30 attendees. The John Brown House Museum is located at 52 Power Street in Providence, parking is available off Charlesfield Street. Tickets are available online here.