Amos Beman

Amos Gerry Beman (1812–1872) was a 19th-century African American pastor and social activist from Connecticut. He was a prominent African American abolitionist.

Early life Beman was born in Colchester, Connecticut, and later moved to Middletown, Connecticut. His grandfather, Cesar, earned his freedom by fighting in the Revolutionary War in place of his master. With his freedom, he took the name Beman, claiming his right to "be a man." Cesar was a shoemaker, a trade he passed down to his son Jehiel, who then passed this on to Jehiel's eldest son Leverett. Unlike Leverett, Amos followed a path of study, enrolling in the Oneida Institute, and was destined to enter the ministry. Jehiel Beman, Amos' father, was the first pastor of the Cross Street AME Zion Church in Middletown, CT, and was later pastor of the Boston AME Zion Church.

Amos Beman was tutored for a short time by Wesleyan University student Samuel Dole, but was driven from the university by a letter from "The Twelve of Us," which threatened his safety. Following this, Beman moved to Hartford, Connecticut, to begin his professional career. Throughout his life, Beman followed in the footsteps of his father, Jehiel Beman. In addition to serving as pastor of an African-American church in Connecticut, Jehiel Beman was heavily involved in several social activist movements. His son would lead a similar life. but for most of his acquaintances, it was too late for Beman to atone for his decision to marry a white woman.

Abolitionism and social activism

Beman served on multiple conventions and councils that promoted anti-slavery causes and African American civil rights. Notably, Beman was a leading advocate of the African American suffrage movement in Connecticut. Yet, his efforts to grant African Americans the right to vote failed, and he subsequently increased his activity writing for Frederick Douglass' North Star and other African American publications. Beman was known for opening up his church to fugitive slaves, but as the Civil War neared, Beman began traveling around the country, lecturing on the anti-slavery movement. the Weekly Anglo-African, and the anti-slavery Bugle.

Additionally, Beman was a moral activist, highly involved in the temperance movement. He served as president of the Connecticut Society of the Negro Temperance Movement.

Beman kept four scrapbooks of articles documenting important moments and ideas he valued. They can be viewed at the Yale library.