Chapter I: Front Matter

MINUTES

OF THE

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE SECOND

Convention of Delegates

FROM THE

ABOLITION SOCIETIES

Established in different Parts of the United States,

ASSEMBLED AT

_PHILADELPHIA_,

ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF JANUARY, ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE, AND CONTINUED, BY ADJOURNMENTS, UNTIL THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE SAME MONTH, INCLUSIVE.

_PHILADELPHIA:_

PRINTED BY ZACHARIAH POULSON, JUNR. NUMBER EIGHTY, CHESNUT-STREET, EIGHT DOORS BELOW THIRD-STREET,

MDCCXCV.

MINUTES

OF THE

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE SECOND

Convention of Delegates.

_Philadelphia, Wednesday, January 7th. 1795._

Agreeably to the recommendation of the Convention, held in this city last year, a number of Delegates, from the several Abolition Societies in the United States, assembled, this day, at the City Hall, when, by the credentials produced, it appeared, that the following persons had been chosen to represent their respective Societies in this Convention:

_Connecticut Society._

Jonathan Edwards, Uriah Tracy, Zephaniah Swift.

_New-York Society._

John Murray, junior, William Johnson, Lawrence Embree, William Dunlap, William Walton Woolsey.

_Pennsylvania Society._

William Rawle, Robert Patterson, Benjamin Rush, Samuel Coates, Caspar Wistar, James Todd, Benjamin Say.

_Delaware Society._

Richard Bassett, John Ralston, Allen McLane, Caleb Boyer.

_Wilmington Society_ (_state of Delaware_.)

Cyrus Newlin, James A. Byard, Joseph Warner, William Poole.

_Maryland Society._

Samuel Sterett, Adam Fonerdon, Joseph Townsend, Joseph Thornburgh, George Buchanan, John Bankson, Philip Moore.

_Chester-town Society_ (_state of Maryland_.)

Edward Scott, James Houston.

Of whom the following appeared and took their seats, _viz._

Jonathan Edwards, Uriah Tracy, Zephaniah Swift, William Johnson, Lawrence Embree, William Dunlap, William Walton Woolsey, William Rawle, Robert Patterson, Benjamin Rush, Samuel Coates, Caspar Wistar, James Todd, Benjamin Say, Richard Bassett, Caleb Boyer, Cyrus Newlin, Joseph Warner, Samuel Sterett, Joseph Townsend, Joseph Thornburgh, John Bankson, Philip Moore, Edward Scott, James Houston.

The Convention proceeded to the election of a President, and, on counting the ballots, it appeared, that Benjamin Rush was duly elected.

Walter Franklin, one of the Secretaries of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, was appointed Secretary, and Joseph Fry, Doorkeeper.

Agreed, That all questions, which shall come before this Convention, be decided by a majority of the votes of the members present, and that every motion, when seconded, shall, if required by the President, or any member, be reduced to writing.

The address, from the last Convention, to the different Abolition Societies in the United States, was then read; after which, several written and verbal communications were made.

Jonathan Edwards, William Dunlap, Caspar Wistar, Cyrus Newlin, Caleb Boyer, Philip Moore, and James Houston, were appointed a committee to consider of, and report, the objects proper for the attention of this Convention, and the most suitable means of attaining the same.

Ordered, That the several communications, made this evening, be referred to the above committee, and that the members of the Convention be requested to impart to them such information as they may possess, relative to the object of their appointment.

Adjourned till to-morrow evening at five o'clock.

_January 8th. 1795._

The Convention met.

Present--Jonathan Edwards, Uriah Tracy, Zephaniah Swift, William Johnson, Lawrence Embree, William Dunlap, William Walton Woolsey, William Rawle, Robert Patterson, Samuel Coates, Caspar Wistar, James Todd, Benjamin Say, Richard Bassett, Caleb Boyer, Cyrus Newlin, Joseph Warner, Joseph Townsend, Joseph Thornburgh, John Bankson, Philip Moore, Edward Scott, James Houston.

The President being absent, Uriah Tracy was appointed to preside for the evening.

An extract, from the minutes of the proceedings of a general meeting of the New Jersey Abolition Society, was read, by which it appeared, that Joseph Bloomfield, William Coxe, junior, James Sloan, John Wistar, and Franklin Davenport, were elected to represent that Society in this Convention, of whom, William Coxe, junior, James Sloan, and Franklin Davenport, appeared and took their seats.

The committee, appointed at the last meeting, not being prepared to make a final report, were continued.

Several communications, from the New Jersey Society, were presented by their Delegates, and referred to the said committee.

Adjourned till to-morrow afternoon at five o'clock.

_January 9th. 1795._

The Convention met.

Present--Jonathan Edwards, Uriah Tracy, Zephaniah Swift, William Johnson, Lawrence Embree, William Dunlap, William Walton Woolsey, William Coxe, junior, James Sloan, Franklin Davenport, William Rawle, Robert Patterson, Benjamin Rush, Samuel Coates, Caspar Wistar, James Todd, Benjamin Say, Richard Bassett, Caleb Boyer, Cyrus Newlin, Joseph Warner, Samuel Sterett, Joseph Townsend, Joseph Thornburgh, John Bankson, Philip Moore, Edward Scott, James Houston.

A letter, from the President of the Providence Abolition Society, was read; by which it appeared, that Theodore Foster and George Benson were appointed to represent that Society in this Convention.

A letter, from the Washington Abolition Society in Pennsylvania, was, also, read, notifying the appointment of Thomas Scott, Absalom Baird, and Samuel Clark, as Representatives of the said Society, in this Convention.

The Secretary was directed to inform such of those gentlemen as are now in this city, of the receipt and purport of the above letters.

The Convention being informed, that the absence of Joseph Bloomfield, of New Jersey, was occasioned by sickness, mention thereof was ordered to be made on the Minutes.

The committee, appointed to consider of, and report, the objects proper for the consideration of the Convention, and the most suitable means of attaining the same, made report, which, after amendment, was adopted as follows, _viz._

_First_, That an address be made, by this Convention, to the several Abolition Societies in the United States, recommending to them, to send Deputies to a Convention, similar to the present, to be holden in Philadelphia the first day of January, in the year 1796; also, that it be recommended to those Societies, who have not sent, to this Convention, complete copies of the laws of their several states, relative to slavery, to send, to the next Convention, copies of all such laws, both those which are now in force, and those which have been repealed; and to send, to the next, and every succeeding, Convention, an accurate list of their officers for the time being, together with an account of the place of their abode, and of the offices, civil, military, or ecclesiastic, which they may sustain, with the number of members of which they consist: that it be further recommended, to the several Societies, to send, annually, to the Convention, an accurate list of all those persons who have been relieved and liberated by their agency; and, also, an account of such trials and decisions of courts, the general knowledge of which they shall judge subservient to the cause of abolition: that it be recommended to the several Societies, to institute public periodical discourses, or orations, on the subject of slavery, and the means of its abolition; also, to continue, without remission, and in such ways as they shall, respectively, judge most likely to be successful, their exertions to procure an amelioration of the laws of their respective states, relative to the Blacks; and, at the same time, to give particular attention to the education of the black children: and, as an historical review of the legislative provisions, relative to slavery, in the several states of the Union, from their respective settlements to the present time, would be conducive to the general benefit,--that it be further recommended, to the several Abolition Societies, to take measures for procuring the materials, and promoting the publication, of such a work; and that a communication of the steps taken, in pursuance of this recommendation, be made to the ensuing Convention.

_Second_, That the Convention take into consideration the case of those persons, who, having been made free by the republic of France, are still holden in slavery by those who have emigrated into the United States from the territories of the said republic; and that the Convention devise some lawful measures for their relief:--we barely suggest, whether an application to the French ambassador be, or be not, proper in the case.

_Third_, That the Convention take into consideration the means of improving the condition of the Blacks, who are, or may be, made free in the different states, and of preventing the inconveniences that may arise from the degraded state of the Negroes in the United States.

_Fourth_, That it be recommended, to the Society of New Jersey, to enter on proper measures to procure an amendment of the law of that state, prohibiting the manumission of slaves of a greater age than thirty-five years.

William Johnson, Franklin Davenport, and Samuel Coates, were appointed to prepare an address, as proposed in the first and fourth sections of the above report.

The second section was referred to William Walton Woolsey, William Rawle, James Todd, and Edward Scott, to report thereon.

The third section was referred to Lawrence Embree, Caspar Wistar, Benjamin Say, Joseph Warner, and Samuel Sterett, to report thereon.

Samuel Coates, James Sloan, and Joseph Townsend, were appointed a committee to enquire, and report, concerning the measures taken, in pursuance of the several resolutions of the former Convention, for transmitting memorials and addresses to the Congress of the United States, and the Legislatures of individual states.

Adjourned till to-morrow evening at six o'clock.

_January 10th. 1795._

The Convention met.

Present--Uriah Tracy, Zephaniah Swift, William Johnson, Lawrence Embree, William Dunlap, William Walton Woolsey, James Sloan, William Rawle, Robert Patterson, Benjamin Rush, Samuel Coates, James Todd, Benjamin Say, Caleb Boyer, Cyrus Newlin, Joseph Warner, Joseph Townsend, Joseph Thornburgh, John Bankson, Philip Moore, James Houston.

Theodore Foster, delegated to represent the Providence Society, appeared and took his seat.

The committee, to whom was referred the second section of the report of the committee of arrangement, reported, that they had taken the subject into consideration; that it appeared to them, to be within the province of the several Societies to act therein; and that the Convention should recommend, to the said Societies, to exert themselves for the liberation of the persons described in the said report, so far as may be consistent with the laws of their respective states.

Ordered, That the said report be accepted.

Adjourned till Monday evening next at six o'clock.

_Monday evening, January 12th. 1795._

The Convention met.

Present--Jonathan Edwards, Zephaniah Swift, Theodore Foster, William Dunlap, William Johnson, Lawrence Embree, William Walton Woolsey, James Sloan, William Rawle, Robert Patterson, Samuel Coates, Caspar Wistar, James Todd, Benjamin Say, Caleb Boyer, Cyrus Newlin, Joseph Warner, Joseph Townsend, Joseph Thornburgh, John Bankson, Philip Moore, Edward Scott, James Houston.

The President being absent, Zephaniah Swift was appointed to preside for the evening.

The committee, appointed to enquire concerning the measures taken, in pursuance of the resolutions of the former Convention, for transmitting memorials and addresses to the Congress of the United States, and the Legislatures of individual states,--presented the following report, which was read and accepted, _viz._

The committee, appointed to enquire if the memorials to Congress, and the different state Legislatures, were presented agreeably to the order of the Convention last year,--report,

That the memorial was presented to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States, in Congress assembled, who took the same into consideration, and granted the prayer thereof by enacting a law, of which the following is a copy:

_An Act to prohibit the carrying on the Slave-trade from the
United States to any foreign place or country._