Colored National Convention of 1855

The Colored National Convention of 1855 was held at Franklin Hall in Philadelphia on October 16, 17, and 18.[1] It consisted of delegates from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Canada. The delegates ranged from famous African Americans like Frederick Douglass and Mary Ann Shadd[2] to unknowns like Rachel Cliff.[3] There were a handful of female delegates in attendance, although their numbers were incomparable to the number of males. Nonetheless, their presence was striking in an age when women’s rights had barely begun to be realized. In addition, the female delegates’ husbands were not invited to the convention; such independence makes the women’s presence still more remarkable.

The main theme of the convention was economic and social liberty for free African Americans. The delegates recognized that while the abolition of slavery was an important issue, it would be useless if the racial prejudice that had grown up in the North was allowed to persist. Therefore, they discussed ways to help African Americans become economically independent, in order to gain the respect of whites. First, they brought up the creation of an industrial school for free blacks, but dismissed the idea as being inefficient and costly. Then, they continued to discuss the many merits of apprenticeships, and throughout the convention minutes, there is an emphasis on education, specifically in the area of mechanical trades. Overall, the convention provides a hopeful message that by increasing the availability of knowledge and opportunities for young, free African Americans, a better reward could await those still suffering under the yoke of slavery upon the advent of their freedom.[4]

[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Proceedings


References
  1. Jane Rhodes (1 January 1999). Mary Ann Shadd Cary: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century. Indiana University Press. pp. 243–. ISBN 0-253-21350-9.
  2. Ann Dexter Gordon; Bettye Collier-Thomas (1 January 1997). African American Women and the Vote, 1837-1965. Univ of Massachusetts Press. pp. 35–. ISBN 1-55849-059-0.
  3. Leslie M. Harris (2 February 2003). In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863. University of Chicago Press. pp. 331–. ISBN 978-0-226-31774-8.
  4. Franklin Turner, ed. Proceedings of the Colored National Convention. Salem: National Standard Office, 1856. Print.
  5. Daniel John McInerney (1994). The Fortunate Heirs of Freedom: Abolition & Republican Thought. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 225–. ISBN 0-8032-3172-5.
  6. Benjamin Quarles (2001). Allies for Freedom. Da Capo Press. pp. 71–. ISBN 978-0-306-80961-3.
  7. Shirley Wilson Logan (1999). We are Coming: The Persuasive Discourse of Nineteenth-century Black Women. SIU Press. pp. 2–. ISBN 978-0-8093-2192-6.
  8. Patrick Rael (28 January 2002). Black Identity and Black Protest in the Antebellum North. Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 363–. ISBN 978-0-8078-7503-2.
  9. Joanne Pope Melish (1998). Disowning Slavery: Gradual Emancipation and "race" in New England, 1780-1860. Cornell University Press. pp. 262–. ISBN 0-8014-8437-5.
  10. Kate Clifford Larson (19 February 2009). Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero. Random House Publishing Group. pp. 341–. ISBN 978-0-307-51476-9.
  11. Robert V. Haynes (1972). Blacks in White America Before 1865: Issues and Interpretations. D. McKay Company.
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