Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society facts for kids
The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society was a group formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1838. Its main goal was to end slavery in the United States. Important people who helped start the Society included James Mott, Lucretia Mott, Robert Purvis, and John C. Bowers, Sr.
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Helping Enslaved People Find Freedom
The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society played a big part in helping enslaved people escape to freedom. They worked with the Underground Railroad, which was a secret network of safe houses and routes. This network helped many enslaved individuals travel from the Southern states to free states or Canada.
William Still and the Underground Railroad Records
In 1850, a man named William Still worked as a clerk for the Society. He helped many people who had escaped slavery. One day, he met an escapee named "Peter Freedman." As Still listened to Freedman's story, he realized something amazing: Freedman was his own long-lost brother! This moment made Still even more determined to help. He started carefully writing down the stories of the people he helped. Later, in 1872, he published these notes in a very important book called The Underground Rail Road Records. This book helped share the brave stories of those who sought freedom.
The Jane Johnson Case
In 1855, William Still and another Society member, Passmore Williamson, helped a woman named Jane Johnson escape. She was in Philadelphia with her master, a well-known politician named John Hill Wheeler. This escape was a big challenge to a law called the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. This law made it harder for enslaved people to escape and required people in free states to help catch them.
The case caused a huge stir. Williamson was put in jail for several months because he helped Jane. Even though Jane Johnson said she was not forced to leave, the judge did not listen. Williamson used his time in jail to speak out against slavery. Famous people like Frederick Douglass even visited him there.
Important People in the Society
Robert Purvis, an African American man whose father was a wealthy cotton broker, was a very important leader in the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society throughout its existence. He worked hard to fight for the rights of all people.
See also
- Pennsylvania Hall (Philadelphia)
- Philadelphia Nativist Riots
- Pennsylvania Abolition Society
- American Anti-Slavery Society
