First Abolition Society Founded: America's Fight Against Slavery Begins
The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was founded in Philadelphia on April 14, 1775, just five days before the battles of Lexington and Concord. It was the first abolition society in North America. Benjamin Franklin served as its president from 1787 until his death in 1790. The society pursued legal challenges on behalf of free Black people who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery, a common practice. It also lobbied state legislatures for gradual emancipation laws. Pennsylvania passed the first state abolition act in 1780, partly due to the society's influence. The organization demonstrated that formal, sustained institutional pressure could challenge slavery through courts and legislatures, establishing a model that abolitionists would use for the next 90 years.
April 14, 1775
251 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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