Charles Burleigh

Recently, there has been a rise in interest in the more tenacious abolitionists like Nat Turner and John Brown. Charles Burleigh and other newspaper editors and columnists didn't have such exciting lives, but they nonetheless made substantial contributions. The 25-year-old native of Connecticut gave up a legal career in 1835 to serve as the public face of the Middlesex Anti-Slavery Society.

When he was attacked by 20 pro-slavery vigilantes during a speech he was giving in Mansfield, Missouri in 1836, the fallout still increased the abolitionist ranks by 200 people, which was crucial in preventing Missouri from becoming a fully slave state before and during the Civil War. He was so successful in promoting the cause and organizing abolitionist movements. He coordinated the Underground Railroad's routes and Samaritans as well.

All of this is in spite of his appearance, which even his peers claimed worked against him. He made the commitment early in his life that he wouldn't cut his hair until slavery was abolished in the US. As a result, he not only had some of the longest hair and the bushiest beard in the country, but he also wore his hair in ringlets, which was wildly out of style at the time, let alone for a public figure. The 19th Century was a time when a person might be a high profile success while flying their freak flag amazingly freely, if this examination of American history has taught us anything.

Born: November 3, 1810Plainfield, Connecticut
Died: June 13, 1878 (aged 67)Florence, Massachusetts