Pennsylvania Abolition Society

Pennsylvania Abolition Society

Former Address: The east side of Front Street, between Walnut and Chestnut Streets

(See place marker no. 21 on map)

The nation's oldest and most honored abolition society was organized April 14, 1775, by a group of Quakers and other religious people. Prominent members included Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Rush, and the Marquis de Lafayette. In 1787, the society adopted a new constitution and name — The Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery: The Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage; and for Improving the Condition of the African Race. Today, the society provides educational and informational services.

(From: Blockson, Charles L. Philadelphia's Guide: African-American State Historical Markers. Philadelphia: Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection / William Penn Foundation, 1992.)