Pennsylvania Abolition Society
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Founded here, 1775, as the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. In 1787 it became the Pennsylvania Abolition Society which sought social, educational, and employment opportunities for Blacks.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1775, as revolutionary fervor stirred Philadelphia, reformers founded an organization to defend free Black people who were being unlawfully seized and sold into bondage. Reorganized in 1787 as the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, it broadened its mission to press for education, employment, and opportunity for Black Americans. It became one of the earliest and most influential antislavery bodies in the young nation, counting figures like Benjamin Franklin among its supporters.
Why it matters
As the country's first sustained abolition society, it helped set the moral and legal groundwork for the long American struggle to end slavery.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Independence Living History Center0.2 mi away
- Merchants' Exchange Building0.2 mi away · 143 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Museum of the American Revolution0.2 mi away · 101 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Science History Institute0.2 mi away · 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Liberty Museum0.3 mi away · 321 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
- Powel House0.3 mi away · 244 South 3rd Street
Attractions
- City Tavern0.1 mi away · 138 South 2nd Street
- First Bank of the United States0.2 mi away · 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Carpenters' Hall0.3 mi away · 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- USS Becuna0.3 mi away · South Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
- USS Olympia0.3 mi away · South Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
- Second Bank of the United States0.3 mi away · 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Food & drink
- Olivier Cafe0.2 mi away · 50 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Mechanics0.2 mi away · 22 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia
- FRIEDA0.2 mi away · 320 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Menagerie Coffee0.2 mi away · 18 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Buddakan0.3 mi away · 325 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- PrimoHoagies0.3 mi away · 304 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Thomas Bond Housenearby · 129 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia
- Philadelphia Marriott Old Citynearby · 1 Dock Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing0.1 mi away · 201 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels0.2 mi away · 33 Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels Philadelphia0.2 mi away · 32 South Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Best Western Plus Independence Park Hotel0.2 mi away · 237 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Liberation of Jane Johnson
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Joseph and Amy Cassey (1789-1848)/(1809-56)
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In the decades before the Civil War, Philadelphia was home to a thriving community of free Black Americans who built their own institutions of self-help and reform. Joseph Cassey, a prosperous barber and real-estate dealer, extended rentals and loans to Black and white customers alike, while he and his wife Amy founded benevolent and intellectual societies. Amy Cassey was also active in the Female Anti-Slavery Society, part of a network of women driving the abolitionist cause.
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James Forten (1766-1842)
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