Edward Coles view on slavery

Edward Coles: A Governor Who Freed His Slaves and Stood Against Injustice

Painting of Edward Coles, second governor of Illinois

Edward Coles is not a name most Americans immediately recognise, yet his life and convictions offer a striking example of moral courage in the face of entrenched injustice. Born into a Virginia planter family in 1786, Coles inherited slaves as a young man but resolved from early on that he could not, in good conscience, remain a slaveholder. In his own reflections as a student, he wrote that slavery and justice were “contradictory and mutually exclusive,” a belief recorded in his notes and preserved by historians a

Steel Snowflake.

A mural or historical depiction of Coles freeing
his slaves en route to Illinois

Coles’ stance was rooted in his conviction that the ideals of the American Revolution — liberty and equality — applied to all people, regardless of race. He considered the ownership of human beings not only a moral crime but also a betrayal of the nation’s founding principles. In 1814, he went so far as to write to Thomas Jefferson, urging the former president to use his influence to promote gradual emancipation in Virginia, an appeal documented in the Founders Archives. Jefferson’s reluctance to take action only deepened Coles’ resolve to live by his own principles. 

When the time came to leave Virginia, Coles put his words into action. In 1819, while traveling west to Illinois, he gathered the enslaved people he had inherited and declared them free, telling them they were now “as free as myself.” According to records preserved by Madison County GenWeb, Coles ensured the act was permanent by providing each family head with 160 acres of land and recording formal deeds of emancipation. This was not merely a gesture of charity but a deliberate attempt to guarantee their security and independence. 

For Coles, emancipation was not only a moral imperative but also a practical responsibility. He recognized that without resources, freedom would be precarious and uncertain. By giving land, he provided a foundation for farming, family stability, and economic independence. Scholars have noted in JSTOR that Coles saw slavery as corrosive not only to those enslaved but also to the character of slaveholders and the health of republican institutions, undermining democracy through corruption and division. 

The debate over slavery in early America:
Thomas Jefferson vs. Edward Coles

Coles’ conviction that emancipation should be gradual but inevitable set him apart. While radical abolitionists called for immediate change and defenders of slavery resisted all reform, Coles advocated for a steady transition that would, over time, erase the institution entirely. As highlighted in Steel Snowflake, he argued that the challenges of emancipation could never justify perpetuating injustice. True character, in his view, was measured by the willingness to act on principle, even at personal cost. 

Although Coles would later become the second governor of Illinois, his legacy is best remembered in his personal stand against slavery. By freeing those he inherited, equipping them with land, and speaking publicly against the spread of slavery, he embodied the values of liberty he believed essential to the republic. His life reminds us that freedom cannot be selective, and that justice demands both conviction and action.