Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
by James
and Lucretia Mott
in 1833.
At the time, Pennsylvania was an openly racist state, withdrawing blacks' voting rights in 1838.
In August 1850, William Still
while working as a clerk for the Society, was assisting a fugative slave calling himself "Peter Freedman". As the escapee's story was similar to many he had heard before, it took a while for Still to realize that Freedman was his long-lost brother. It was this incident that galvanized Still's resolve and compelled him to document his work with the Underground Railroad
, later published as The Underground Rail Road Records
.
In 1855, while working for the Society, Passmore Williamson
and William Still helped Jane Johnson escape slavery while in Philadelphia with her master, a well-known congressman, John Hill Wheeler. As one of the first challenges to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
the case created a scandal, with Williamson imprisoned for several months, charged with riot, forcible abduction, and assault. The judge in the case rejected an affidavit from Johnson affirming that there had been no abduction as "immaterial". Williamson eventually turned his cell into a virtual abolitionist media center, drawing visits from luminaries like Frederick Douglass
.
Robert Purvis
, son of a wealthy cotton broker, served as president from 1845 to 1850.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
by James
James Mott
James Mott was a Quaker leader, teacher, and merchant as well as an activist for anti-slavery and women's rights. He was born in Cowneck in North Hempstead on Long Island, to a Quaker family...
and Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Coffin Mott was an American Quaker, abolitionist, social reformer, and proponent of women's rights.- Early life and education:...
in 1833.
At the time, Pennsylvania was an openly racist state, withdrawing blacks' voting rights in 1838.
In August 1850, William Still
William Still
William Still was an African-American abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, writer, historian and civil rights activist....
while working as a clerk for the Society, was assisting a fugative slave calling himself "Peter Freedman". As the escapee's story was similar to many he had heard before, it took a while for Still to realize that Freedman was his long-lost brother. It was this incident that galvanized Still's resolve and compelled him to document his work with the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, later published as The Underground Rail Road Records
The Underground Rail Road Records
The Underground Railroad Records chronicle the stories and methods of some 649 slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad. William Still, known as the father of the Underground Railroad, used his detailed documents regarding those he helped to escape in the Underground Railroad...
.
In 1855, while working for the Society, Passmore Williamson
Passmore Williamson
Passmore Williamson was an abolitionist in Pennsylvania who is best known for a legal episode challenging the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850....
and William Still helped Jane Johnson escape slavery while in Philadelphia with her master, a well-known congressman, John Hill Wheeler. As one of the first challenges to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened...
the case created a scandal, with Williamson imprisoned for several months, charged with riot, forcible abduction, and assault. The judge in the case rejected an affidavit from Johnson affirming that there had been no abduction as "immaterial". Williamson eventually turned his cell into a virtual abolitionist media center, drawing visits from luminaries like Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
.
Robert Purvis
Robert Purvis
Robert Purvis was an African-American abolitionist in the United States. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, educated at Amherst College, and lived most of his life in Philadelphia. Purvis and his brothers were three-quarters European by ancestry and inherited considerable wealth from...
, son of a wealthy cotton broker, served as president from 1845 to 1850.
See also
- Pennsylvania Hall (Philadelphia)Pennsylvania Hall (Philadelphia)Pennsylvania Hall was a 19th century abolitionist meeting place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.In the years prior to the building of the Hall, the city's African American population had grown substantially as freed and fugitive slaves began to unite with the city's substantial Quaker population in...
- Philadelphia Nativist RiotsPhiladelphia Nativist RiotsThe Philadelphia Nativist Riots were a series of riots that took place between May 6 and 8 and July 6 and 7, 1844, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and the adjacent districts of Kensington and Southwark...