The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921Various
History
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921
Various
African Americans -- Periodicals
The following addresses to the free people of color, taken from the
_Minutes of the American Convention of Abolition Societies_ active in
this country during the first fifty years of the republic of the
United States, show the method employed by these early friends of the
Negroes to effect their social uplift while this organization was
working for the abolition of the slave trade and the destruction of
slavery. The advice to the Negroes as to how they should conduct
themselves is very interesting. After 1820 the American Convention of
Abolition Societies paid less attention to such advice to the people
of color and concerned itself primarily with appeals to others in
their behalf. The free Negro made so much moral progress during the
period that they ceased to be a cause of anxiety.
TO THE
FREE AFRICANS AND OTHER FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR
IN THE
UNITED STATES.
THE Convention of Deputies from the Abolition Societies in the
United States, assembled at Philadelphia, have undertaken to
address you upon subjects highly interesting to your prosperity.
They wish to see you act worthily of the rank you have acquired
as freemen, and thereby to do credit to yourselves, and to
justify the friends and advocates of your color in the eyes of
the world.
As the result of our united reflections, we have concluded to
call your attention to the following articles of Advice. We
trust, they are dictated by the purest regard for your welfare,
for we view you as Friends and Brethren.
_In the first place._ We earnestly recommend to you, a regular
attention to the important duty of public worship; by which means
you will evince gratitude to your CREATOR, and, at the same
time, promote knowledge, union, friendship, and proper conduct
amongst yourselves.
_Secondly_,
_Secondly_, We advise such of you, as have not been taught
reading, writing, and the first principles of arithmetic, to
acquire them as early as possible. Carefully attend to the
instruction of your children in the same simple and useful
branches of education. Cause them, likewise, early and frequently
to read the holy Scriptures. They contain, among other great
discoveries, the precious record of the original equality of
mankind, and of the obligations of universal justice and
benevolence, which are derived from the relation of the human
race to each other in a COMMON FATHER.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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