GEORGE WASHINGTON WILLIAMS
Name: George Washington Williams
Born: October 16, 1849
Died: August 2, 1891
George Washington Williams (October 16, 1849-August 2, 1891) was an American
Civil War veteran, minister, politician and historian. Long before its use in
the Nuremberg Trials, he used the term "crimes against humanity" after he
witnessed the brutality of King Leopold II's Congo (1885-1908)[1], in which some
10 million people lost their lives.
Williams was born in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania to Thomas and Ellen Rouse
Williams. He was the eldest of four children; his brothers were John, Thomas and
Harry. After a limited education and a stint in a "house of refuge" where he
learned barbering, Williams enlisted in the Union Army under an assumed name
when he was only 14 and fought during the final battles of the American Civil
War. He may have been a deserter..
He went to Mexico and joined the Republican army under the command of General
Espinosa, fighting to overthrow Emperor Maximilian. He received a commission as
lieutenant, learned some Spanish, got a reputation as a good gunner and returned
to the U.S. in the spring of 1867.
Back home, he enlisted for a 5-year stint in the army and while in the Indian
Territory, was wounded in 1868. He remained hospitalized until his discharge.
Once back in civilian life, the young veteran decided to attend college and was
accepted at Howard University. Records do not show his having stayed there very
long and in 1870, he began studies at the Newton Theological Institution.
He met Sarah A. Sterrett during a visit to Chicago in 1873 and they were married
the following spring. They had one son.
After graduation, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and held several
pastorates, including the historic Twelfth Baptist Church of Boston.
With support from many of the leaders of his time such as Frederick Douglass and
William Lloyd Garrison, Williams founded The Commoner, a monthly journal, in
Washington, D.C. He was only able to publish eight issues.
Williams moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he studied law. He later became the
first African-American elected to the Ohio State Legislature, serving one term
1880 to 1881.
In 1885, President Chester A. Arthur appointed Williams "Minister Resident and
Consul General" to Haiti. He never served.
In addition to his religious and political achievements, George W. Williams was
also the author of A History of Negro Troops in the War of Rebellion and The
History of the Negro Race in America 1619–1880, the first history of African-Americans.
In 1889, Williams was granted an informal audience with King Léopold II of
Belgium. At that time, the Congo Free State was the personal possession of the
King. In spite of the monarch’s objections, Williams went to Central Africa to
see the conditions there for himself, from where he addressed "An Open Letter to
His Serene Majesty Léopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the
Independent State of Congo" from Stanley Falls on July 18, 1890. In this letter,
he condemned the brutal and inhuman treatment the Congolese were suffering at
the hands of the colonizers. He mentioned the role played by Henry M. Stanley,
sent to the Congo by the King, in tricking and mistreating the Africans.
Williams reminded the King that the crimes committed were all committed in his
name, making him as guilty as the actual culprits. He appealed to the
international community of the day to “call and create an International
Commission to investigate the charges herein preferred in the name of Humanity...”
(For much more about this situation, read the best-selling book "King Leopold's
Ghost)."
Traveling home from Africa, George Washington Williams died in Blackpool,
England on August 2, 1891, and is buried in Layton Cemetery, Blackpool.
Name: George Washington Williams
Born: October 16, 1849
Died: August 2, 1891
George Washington Williams (October 16, 1849-August 2, 1891) was an American
Civil War veteran, minister, politician and historian. Long before its use in
the Nuremberg Trials, he used the term "crimes against humanity" after he
witnessed the brutality of King Leopold II's Congo (1885-1908)[1], in which some
10 million people lost their lives.
Williams was born in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania to Thomas and Ellen Rouse
Williams. He was the eldest of four children; his brothers were John, Thomas and
Harry. After a limited education and a stint in a "house of refuge" where he
learned barbering, Williams enlisted in the Union Army under an assumed name
when he was only 14 and fought during the final battles of the American Civil
War. He may have been a deserter..
He went to Mexico and joined the Republican army under the command of General
Espinosa, fighting to overthrow Emperor Maximilian. He received a commission as
lieutenant, learned some Spanish, got a reputation as a good gunner and returned
to the U.S. in the spring of 1867.
Back home, he enlisted for a 5-year stint in the army and while in the Indian
Territory, was wounded in 1868. He remained hospitalized until his discharge.
Once back in civilian life, the young veteran decided to attend college and was
accepted at Howard University. Records do not show his having stayed there very
long and in 1870, he began studies at the Newton Theological Institution.
He met Sarah A. Sterrett during a visit to Chicago in 1873 and they were married
the following spring. They had one son.
After graduation, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and held several
pastorates, including the historic Twelfth Baptist Church of Boston.
With support from many of the leaders of his time such as Frederick Douglass and
William Lloyd Garrison, Williams founded The Commoner, a monthly journal, in
Washington, D.C. He was only able to publish eight issues.
Williams moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he studied law. He later became the
first African-American elected to the Ohio State Legislature, serving one term
1880 to 1881.
In 1885, President Chester A. Arthur appointed Williams "Minister Resident and
Consul General" to Haiti. He never served.
In addition to his religious and political achievements, George W. Williams was
also the author of A History of Negro Troops in the War of Rebellion and The
History of the Negro Race in America 1619–1880, the first history of African-Americans.
In 1889, Williams was granted an informal audience with King Léopold II of
Belgium. At that time, the Congo Free State was the personal possession of the
King. In spite of the monarch’s objections, Williams went to Central Africa to
see the conditions there for himself, from where he addressed "An Open Letter to
His Serene Majesty Léopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the
Independent State of Congo" from Stanley Falls on July 18, 1890. In this letter,
he condemned the brutal and inhuman treatment the Congolese were suffering at
the hands of the colonizers. He mentioned the role played by Henry M. Stanley,
sent to the Congo by the King, in tricking and mistreating the Africans.
Williams reminded the King that the crimes committed were all committed in his
name, making him as guilty as the actual culprits. He appealed to the
international community of the day to “call and create an International
Commission to investigate the charges herein preferred in the name of Humanity...”
(For much more about this situation, read the best-selling book "King Leopold's
Ghost)."
Traveling home from Africa, George Washington Williams died in Blackpool,
England on August 2, 1891, and is buried in Layton Cemetery, Blackpool.