Northeast High School

Magnet Programme
African American History Honours

11 March 2021

Dear Governor Wolf of the State of Pennsylvania and gubernatorial staff,

Acts of sacrifice, duty, patriotism, and devotion to liberty and freedom are often

recognized through the erection of monuments and plaques. Although American history has not

always been morally justified, America prides itself on the recognition of individuals who

embodied American ideals and who strived for the ultimate objective of an equal society.

Modern America is a culmination of acts of sacrifices, duty, and patriotism that have all molded

America into the country it stands as today--a democracy striving for the highest ideals of

humanity. Every act, no matter how trivial or significant, has led to the society that exists today.

Like the culmination of acts by remarkable individuals of history that molded America,

Philadelphia was shaped into the city it is today by individuals who put country above self,

freedom above oppression, and love above hate.

We are passionate sophomores from the Magnet Programme at Northeast High School

who are seeking to create change and correct false representations of history. Over the course of

the last few weeks, we have been learning about abolitionists in African American History class

who have contributed to the anti-slavery cause and who have dedicated their lives to the

abolishment of slavery and the attainment of equality. The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery

Society was an organization formed in 1833 by Black and white women as a result of being

ostracized from male-dominated aboltionist organizations due to their gender. The Philadelphia
Female Anti-Slavery Society championed equality, freedom, and strived to abolish slavery

through tactics intended to combat the growing anti-Black sentiments. We are endeavouring to

completely change the current plaque representing the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society

to a new plaque that recognizes all the women involved in the establishment and development of

the organization and consequently, its achievements that followed.

Historically, women have always walked on a small, nugatory plank surrounded by

waters of hate, oppression, and sexism. Restrained by society's standards, women who took a

stand against America’s treatment towards people of colour were commonly shunned and

denigrated for their actions. The women involved in the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery

Society transcended and defied society’s standards by resisting to conform to the mold fabricated

by society. The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society not only represented the efforts and

collaboration of women coming under one cause and banner, but the organization stood as a

beacon of hope and optimism for women all over Philadelphia who could not voice their

concerns against slavery. Although white women were involved in the founding of the

organization, Black women were instrumental in the organization’s development. These Black

women include Sarah Mapps Douglass, Charlotte Forten and her daughters, Grace Douglass, and

Hetty Reckless who were a testament to the inevitable advancement of America towards more

equal societies. The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society was one of the only aboltionist

organizations that authorized and encouraged Black women to take on leadership roles. As stated

by the founding members of the society “We deem it our duty, as professing Christians to

manifest our abhorrence of the flagrant injustice and deep sin of slavery by united and vigorous

exertions”. Black women were actively involved in shaping the organizational philosophies and
principles that characterized the organization that they intended on developing into. Like many

Black women involved in the anti-slavery cause, the Black founding women of the Philadelphia

Female Anti-Slavery Society are overlooked by today’s world and are continually unnoticed and

forgotten in the fog of time elapsed.

The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society utilized tactics that were effective in

aiding the cause against abolishing slavery and drawing America nearer to a liberated society.

The first meeting for the organization transpired on 9 December 1833 where Black and white

women totalling about twenty-one people congregated to found the Philadelphia Female

Anti-Slavery Society. The society used many types of strategies to combat slavery including

subscribing to anti-slavery publications, establishing a school dedicated to teaching African

Americans, drafting petitions and lobbying for emancipation, and promoting the boycott of

goods manufactured by enslaved people. Furthermore, the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery

focused their efforts and resources on raising funds for the abolition movement and they did this

by staging annual fairs in which they sold baked goods, needlework, art pieces, and pottery with

anti-slavery designs. As the abolishment movement’s cause began to spread and as anti-slavery

sentiments started to gain prominence while eclipsing anti-Black sentiments, the annual fairs

increased in size and reach. Along with raising funds for the abolitionist movement, the society

also focused on supporting the operations of the Underground Railroad through its contributions

to the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee, which was organized by Robert Purvis to aid escaped

enslaved individuals in southeastern Pennsylvania to seek refuge. Displaying commitment and

dedication to the cause, members of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society continued to

support the Underground Railroad and the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee even after the
passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. Knowing the risk of harbouring escaped enslaved

individuals, the members of the PFASS provided housing, protection, and transportation of

escaped enslaved individuals. During the Civil War, members of the Philadelphia Female

Anti-Slavery Society contributed their efforts and committed their resources to the support of the

war effort. Slavery was officially abolished on 31 January 1865 which was the premier objective

of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society but they continued to champion and agitate for

voting rights and equality. In 1869, the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society organized its

final fair in support of the movement for Black suffrage, and in 1870 the organization was

dissolved after the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified. In the words of Margaretta Forten, the

paternal aunt of Charlotte Forten, “whereas, the object for which this Association was organized

is this accomplished, therefore resolved, that the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, grateful for

the part allotted to it in this great work, rejoicing in the victory which has concluded the long

conflict between slavery and Freedom in America, does hereby disband”. The journey of the

Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society may have concluded triumphantly, but their efforts only

resulted in victory because of their acts of sacrifice, duty, and patriotism, and devotion to liberty

and freedom.

Plaques should represent the historical value an individual or individuals contributed to

society and should properly recognize the efforts of all parties involved. The current plaque

recognizing the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society reads “Organized in 1833 by Quaker

abolitionist Lucretia Mott, this society, headquartered here, originally consisted of sixty women

who sought to end slavery. After the Civil War, the society supported the cause of the freed

slaves”. The mentioning of only Lucretia Mott suggests the false impression that she was the sole
founder of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. We believe this to be not only a

degradation to the efforts by the Black founding members of the Philadelphia Female

Anti-Slavery Society, but a distorted and false representation of the organization. The plaque

should be changed to mention and recognize a few of the Black women who aided in the

development of the organization. The new plaque should mention Sarah Mapps Douglass,

Charlotte Forten and her daughters, Grace Douglass, and Hetty Reckless who were all

instrumental to the abolitionist effort in Philadelphia. The action of changing the plaque to

include the aforementioned names may seem inconsequential but it represents the honouring of

acts of sacrifice, duty, and patriotism which are the ideals at the heart of America and the office

you represent. As society and Philadelphians become more enlightened on the women involved

in the abolitionist movement, we need to correct the false representations of Black women and

their involvement in organizations throughout history because many Black women are often not

mentioned or recognized and that paints the wrong picture that Black women were not

significant to the abolitionist movement efforts.

Your office and position stand for something far greater than the political circle it is in. It

represents the history of Pennsylvania and the individuals who contributed to its history. As

governor, you have a moral obligation to support the citizens of the present and honour those of

the past. Using your position and the executive power invested in your office, you are capable of

influencing members of your state government to support the changing of the current plaque and

as governor, overseeing the logistics of the plaque change. This task can be accomplished by

working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, who are

responsible for managing and organizing the placement and changing of historical markers all
over Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia municipal government who is currently headed by

Mayor Jim Kennedy. As students who are passionate about change, we demand our requests be

acknowledged and actions to be taken to accomplish our aforementioned objective. Governor

Wolf, it is now your time to act and stand upon the platform of change to pursue the objective of

changing the current plaque representing the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society to a

plaque that recognizes the Black women involved in its foundation. You must grasp the reigns of

change and be resolute in this request because your actions will dictate where you stand in

history.

Respectfully,

Students of African American History Class

Magnet Programme at Northeast High School

 Works Cited

ExplorePAHistory.com, explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-105.

“The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society Founded.” African American Registry, 23 Oct.

2020, aaregistry.org/story/the-philadelphia-female-anti-slavery-society-founded/.