Vigilant Association of Philadelphia

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Founder Robert Purvis in the 1840s Robert Purvis, Abolitionist.jpg
Founder Robert Purvis in the 1840s
Co-founder James Forten James Forten.jpg
Co-founder James Forten

The Vigilant Association of Philadelphia was an abolitionist organization founded in August 1837 in Philadelphia to "create a fund to aid colored persons in distress". [1] The initial impetus came from Robert Purvis, [2] who had served on a previous Committee of Twelve[ clarification needed ] in 1834, and his father-in-law, businessman James Forten. [3] [4]

Contents

Up and running by 1838, the committee had begun to break down in 1852. William Still was an important conductor along the railroad and a founder of the vigilance committee in Philadelphia. [5]

History

Its executive was the Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia and its first president was a black dentist, James McCrummell. Other abolitionists who helped included John Greenleaf Whittier, who helped form the committee and promoted the association in his newspaper Pennsylvania Freeman . [3] [4]

There were five members of the acting committee for the Vigilant Association of Philadelphia, which included Nathaniel W. Depee, William Still, Jacob C. White, Passmore Williamson, and Charles Wise. [6] [7] [8]

In June 1842, future writer Harriet Jacobs was among the fugitive slaves who were aided by the Association. [9]

See also

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Harriet Forten Purvis was an African-American abolitionist and first generation suffragist. With her mother and sisters, she formed the first biracial women's abolitionist group, the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. She hosted anti-slavery events at her home and with her husband Robert Purvis ran an Underground Railroad station. Robert and Harriet also founded the Gilbert Lyceum. She fought against segregation and for the right for blacks to vote after the Civil War.

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Joseph Cassey (1789–1848) was a French West Indies-born American businessman, real estate investor, abolitionist, and activist. He prospered as a barber, and as well as a wig maker, perfumer, and money-lender. He lived in the historic Cassey House in Society Hill, and was active in the African American elite community in Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathaniel W. Depee</span> American activist and abolitionist(1812–1868)

Nathaniel W. Depee was an American activist, abolitionist, and merchant tailor. He was active in the Underground Railroad, and in Black politics in Philadelphia in the 1830s through 1860s.

References

Citations

  1. Foner, Eric (2 February 2016). Gateway to freedom : the hidden history of the underground railroad. National Geographic Books. ISBN   978-0-393-35219-1. OCLC   1086231994.
  2. Boromé, Joseph A.; White, Jacob C.; Ayres, Robert B.; McKim, J. M. (1968). "The Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 92 (3): 320–351. ISSN   0031-4587. JSTOR   20090197.
  3. 1 2 Boromé 1968.
  4. 1 2 Tomek 2015.
  5. Gara, Larry (1961). "William Still and the Underground Railroad". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 28 (1): 33–44. ISSN   0031-4528. JSTOR   27770004.
  6. Sanders, Nancy I. (2012-06-01). Frederick Douglass for Kids: His Life and Times, with 21 Activities. Chicago Review Press. p. 54. ISBN   978-1-61374-357-7.
  7. Switala, William J. (2008-08-21). Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. Stackpole Books. ISBN   978-0-8117-4912-1.
  8. Still, William (2022-02-15). "Organization of the Vigilance Committee". Toronto Metropolitan University Pressbooks.
  9. Jean Fagan Yellin: Harriet Jacobs. A Life. New York 2004, p. 66.

Sources