Pennsylvania Abolition Society facts for kids
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The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the very first group in America to work against slavery. It was started on April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many of its first members were Quakers, a Christian group known for their role in Pennsylvania's early history.
This group later changed its name in 1784 to the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. It is better known as the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. The group officially became a legal organization in 1789.
Contents
Fighting for Freedom: The Pennsylvania Abolition Society
How the Society Began
The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was created to help Black people who were illegally kept as slaves. It held four meetings when it first started. Out of 24 men who attended these early meetings, 17 were Quakers. Quakers are members of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian group that played a big part in the early history of Pennsylvania.
Important Leaders and Their Work
After 1785, Benjamin Franklin became the president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. The society asked him to bring up the issue of slavery at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. This was a very important meeting where the United States Constitution was written. In 1790, Franklin also asked the U.S. Congress to make slavery illegal.
The Pennsylvania Abolition Society had both Black and white members and leaders. It became an example for other anti-slavery groups in different states before the Civil War. A notable African-American member was Robert Purvis, who joined in 1842 as the society's first Black member.
The Society Today
In 1984, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society was restarted. A special historical marker was placed on Front Street in Philadelphia, where its first offices were located.
The Pennsylvania Abolition Society still exists today. It continues to work against racism. As the oldest anti-slavery organization in the United States, it now focuses on improving the justice system. This includes working to reduce the number of African Americans in prison and making sentencing laws fairer. The society also works to improve economic and environmental fairness for everyone.
See also
- Abolition of slavery timeline
- Anthony Benezet
- John Woolman
- Thomas Paine
- Benjamin Rush
- Benjamin Lundy
- John Greenleaf Whittier
- Frances Harper
- Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
- Abby Davis Munro
