Radical Equality Primary Source List

Explanation of Sources

Details the significance of the primary and secondary sources and why we included what we did.

Primary Sources

The Stetson Letters and Other Evidence from the 19th Century Typically, an account of life inside a community like the Northampton Association depends upon clues offered in newspaper articles and the papers of prominent members. Pictures, maps, organizational and public records often add useful evidence. Photographs, drawings, and artifacts can often give a face to people and places. Yet it is more rare for historians to have documents such as a diary or letters that reveal the daily life and family relationships of ordinary people. Thus scholars rejoiced in 1998 when a trove of seventy-five letters–written by members of the Stetson family during their stay at the Northampton Association–turned up among family memorabilia in a house in Brooklyn, Connecticut. The family donated the letters to Historic Northampton. Matched with existing sources such as those mentioned above, and supported by the work of scholars, the Stetson letters enable unique new insights into the Northampton Association of Education and Industry. This site features these letters, along with a wealth of other richly complementary materials. In their day, James and Dolly Stetson and their children were never famous. They were not key players in the abolitionist movement or in the rise of industry in 19th century America. Instead, their story reveals how larger national narratives of social reform, political debate, and economic transformation wove together with the many stories of America’s ordinary, and often unremarked individuals. During the Stetson family’s stay at the Northampton Association, James spent most of his time on the road selling the Association’s silk. His wife and children wrote him letters, filling him in on their activities at the Association. Thus these letters provide a personal window into the daily life and experiences of life in a utopian, abolitionist community. Links to the letters and other primary sources appear throughout the site, especially under “Story of the NAEI.” Or you may browse an annotated the list of all our primary sources grouped by type of document.

Secondary Sources: Scholarly Works

To understand and place primary source evidence in context, it is essential to study thoughtful and insightful secondary sources. We are fortunate again in that veteran scholars created excellent studies that aid immeasurably in interpreting the significance of the Association. Anyone wishing to know more about this unique community and its impact should access these fascinating works. You can buy any of the works listed below from the Historic Northampton Museum. Letters from an American Utopia: The Stetson Family and the Northampton Association, 1843-1847. Edited by Christopher Clark and Kerry W. Buckley. University of Massachusetts Press. Amherst and Boston. (2004). The Communitarian Moment: The Radical Challenge of the Northampton Association. Christopher Clark. Cornell University Press. (1995). Northampton’s Century of Silk. Marjorie Senechal. The 350th Anniversary Committee, City of Northampton, Massachusetts. (2004). (Printed by Collective Copies, Florence, Massachusetts.) Thanks to the collections and stewardship of the Historic Northampton Museum and Education Center, we are able to tell the important local story of the Northampton Association of Education and Industry through a rich mix of more than 70 primary and secondary sources, grounded in scholarly research and tied to essential themes of traditional American history.