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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.
[Illustration: (decoration)]
_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._
Section I. BE _it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress
assembled_, That no citizen or citizens of the United
States, or foreigner, or any other person coming into, or
residing within the same, shall, for himself or any other
person whatsoever, either as master, factor or owner, build,
fit, equip, load or otherwise prepare any ship or vessel,
within any port or place of the said United States, nor
shall cause any ship or vessel to sail from any port or
place within the same, for the purpose of carrying on any
trade or traffic in slaves, to any foreign country; or for
the purpose of procuring, from any foreign kingdom, place or
country, the inhabitants of such kingdom, place or country,
to be transported to any foreign country, port or place
whatever, to be sold or disposed of, as slaves: And if any
ship or vessel shall be so fitted out, as aforesaid, for the
said purposes, or shall be caused to sail, so as aforesaid,
every such ship or vessel, her tackle, furniture, apparel
and other appurtenances, shall be forfeited to the United
States; and shall be liable to be seized, prosecuted and
condemned, in any of the circuit courts or district court
for the district, where the said ship or vessel may be found
and seized.