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47-402: Pennsylvania Hall may be: Pennsylvania Hall (Philadelphia) Pennsylvania Hall (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) Pennsylvania Hall (Pittsburgh) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Pennsylvania Hall . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

94-401: A dozen rioters; among them a sturdy blackguard engaged in forcing the doors with a log of wood, and a youth with a brand of fire in his hands. They were either forcibly rescued from me or were let loose again by those into whose hands I gave them. I appealed in vain for assistance — no one responded to me." However, "many individuals are already in custody". Just after the burning a new fund

141-562: A heterogenous audience had never existed in Philadelphia before. In addition, women and blacks spoke to mixed audiences, which was for some a delight and for others a threat to social order. Adams' letter read, in part: I learnt with great satisfaction...that the Pennsylvania Hall Association have erected a large building in your city, wherein liberty and equality of civil rights can be freely discussed, and

188-626: A newspaper ad to explain why he would no longer sell sugar until he could procure it through channels "more unconnected with Slavery, and less polluted with Human Blood." Women, who could not vote, could promote and participate in a slave sugar boycott. The British boycott, at its height, had more than 400,000 participants. However, as the French Revolution turned violent in mid-1792, grassroots movements lost support which they did not regain until it became known that Napoleon Bonaparte opposed emancipation. Elias Hicks 's Observations on

235-561: A number of pamphlets and tracts, and published a journal entitled Non-Slaveholder from 1846 to 1854. The British India Society , founded in 1839, supported free produce. UK counterparts to the American Free Produce Society formed in the 1840s–1850s, under the leadership of Anna Richardson , a Quaker slavery abolitionist and peace campaigner based in Newcastle . The Newcastle Ladies' Free Produce Association

282-473: A particular effect on the slave holders, by circumscribing their avarice, and preventing their heaping up riches, and living in a state of luxury and excess on the gain of oppression… Observations on the Slavery of Africans and Their Descendents gave the free-produce movement its central argument for an embargo of all goods produced by slave labor including cotton cloth and cane sugar, in favor of produce from

329-493: A very disagreeable taste and odor' and rice that was 'very poor, dark and dirty.'" Benefits to slaves or reduction in demand for slave-produced goods was minuscule. Many abolitionists ignored the issue altogether. Though William Lloyd Garrison , founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society , initially proclaimed at a convention in 1840 that his wool suit was made without slave labor, he later examined

376-535: Is at this time holding its session in Philadelphia, it behoves the citizens who entertain a proper respect for the right of prop[er]ty [slaves], and the preservation of the constitution of the Union to interfere, forcibly if they must , to prevent the violation of those pledges heretofore held sacred, and it is proposed that they assemble at the Pennsylvania Hall to-morrow morning Wednesday 15th May and demand

423-655: The Key-stone State may now be regarded as certain." "The Philadelphia Public Ledger , which was threatened with demolition by the rioters in the late mob, asserts that its daily circulation has augmented nearly two thousand since the disturbances, notwithstanding its uncompromising opposition to mobs." In 1992, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission erected a marker at the Hall's location. The marker reads: "Built on this site in 1838 by

470-476: The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), in the late 18th century. Quakers believed in pacifism and in the spiritual equality of all humankind. Quakers opposed slavery, and by about 1790 had eliminated slaveholding from among their membership. Radical Quakers such as Anthony Benezet and John Woolman went further, voicing their opinion that purchasers of slave-derived goods were guilty of keeping

517-608: The " Colored Female Free Produce Society of Pennsylvania " in 1831. Some black businesses began to feature free produce; William Whipper opened a free grocery next to Bethel Church in Philadelphia, and in the same city, a Negro confectioner used sugar only from free labor sources, and received the order for Angelina Grimké 's wedding cake. In New York, a supportive article in Freedom's Journal calculated for its readers that, given typical free Negro consumption of sugar, if 25 black people purchased sugar from slaveholders, then one slave

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564-528: The Mayor, who came forward to represent the majesty of the laws with no other preparation than a speech." In the end, the city's official report blamed the fire and riots on the abolitionists, saying they had upset the citizens by encouraging "race mixing" and inciting violence. The Sheriff of Philadelphia County, John G. Watmough , in his report to the Governor, said: "I arrested with my own hands some ten or

611-514: The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society as a meeting place for abolitionists, this hall was burned to the ground by anti-Black rioters three days after it was first opened." 39°57′15″N 75°08′59″W  /  39.9541542°N 75.1495888°W  / 39.9541542; -75.1495888 Free-produce movement The free-produce movement was an international boycott of goods produced by slave labor . It

658-534: The Slave Trade in 1787. In 1789, the Abolition Bill was introduced in parliament (by William Wilberforce ; Quakers were not allowed to stand for parliament). Plantocratic interests slowed its adoption. By 1791, it had still not been passed, and frustration at parliamentary delaying tactics lead to boycott actions. William Fox published a pamphlet urging a boycott of slave sugar; this became

705-494: The Slavery of Africans and Their Descendents , published in 1811, advocated a consumer boycott of slave-produced goods to remove the economic support for slavery: Q. 11. What effect would it have on the slave holders and their slaves, should the people of the United States of America and the inhabitants of Great Britain, refuse to purchase or make use of any goods that are the produce of Slavery? A. It would doubtless have

752-459: The blazing Hall, some of which were in great danger, as they were nearly joining the Hall. By the skil[l]ful exertion of these noble-hearted young men, however, no private property was suffered to receive the least damage — while the Hall was totally consumed with all its contents. Such conduct in the Philadelphia fire companies deserves the highest praise and gratitude of all the friends of the Union, and of all Southerners in particular. The burning

799-477: The building's opening. On the ground floor were four stores or offices, which fronted on Sixth St. One was an abolitionist reading room and bookstore; another held the office of the Pennsylvania Freeman , John Greenleaf Whittier 's newly reincarnated abolitionist newspaper. Another held the office of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, the building's manager, and the fourth was devoted to

846-471: The city. "Ultimately the destruction of Pennsylvania Hall contributed to an awakening by the Northern public that was essential to the defeat of slavery." "The gutted shell stood for several years after the blaze, becoming a pilgrimage site for abolitionists." "In the destruction of this Hall consecrated to freedom, a fire has in fact been kindled that will never go out. The onward progress of our cause in

893-458: The commodity ... In every pound of sugar used we may be considered as consuming two ounces of human flesh." Rhetoric describing slave produce as figuratively contaminated by the blood, tears, and sweat, of slaves, and as morally polluting, was widely used. Further pamphlets on the same theme followed. Boycotts were waged by both individual consumers and by shopkeepers and merchants. Also in 1791, an English merchant named James Wright published

940-409: The evils of slavery fearlessly portrayed. ...I rejoice that, in the city of Philadelphia, the friends of free discussion have erected a Hall for its unrestrained exercise. "After which, David Paul Brown of this city ["counsellor at law" ] will deliver an Oration upon Liberty." Whereas a convention for the avowed purpose of effecting the immediate emancipation of slaves throughout the United States,

987-451: The free-produce movement in her speeches, saying she would pay a little more for a "Free Labor" dress, even if it were coarser. Watkins called the movement "the harbinger of hope, the ensign of progress, and a means for proving the consistency of our principles and the earnestness of our zeal." In 1838, in the new Pennsylvania Hall (Philadelphia) there was a Free Produce store. In the same time and place, supporters from various states held

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1034-422: The immediate dispersion of said convention. A large number of splendid fire engines were immediately on the spot, many of which could throw water more than a hundred feet high: but the noble firemen, to a man, of all the numerous companies present, refused to throw one drop of water on the consuming building. All they did was to direct their engines to play upon the private buildings in the immediate vicinity of

1081-743: The initial meeting of the Requited [paid] Labor Society . Pennsylvania Hall was burned to the ground three days after its opening, but the Society held another meeting four months later, in Sandiford Hall , "a library and meeting place for African Americans". The result was the American Free Produce Association, which promoted their cause by seeking non-slave alternates to products from slaveholders, and by forming non-slave distribution channels. The Association produced

1128-518: The institution of slavery economically feasible. They argued for a moral and economic boycott of slave-derived goods. The concept proved attractive because it offered a non-violent method of combating slavery. In the 1780s, the movement spread beyond Quaker circles. British abolitionists , most of them also Quakers and some of them former slaves, formed the Society for Effecting the Abolition of

1175-435: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pennsylvania_Hall&oldid=877718607 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Architectural disambiguation pages Pennsylvania Hall (Philadelphia) This

1222-474: The meetings held during the four days of its use, the new building was clearly intended to have an abolitionist focus. But to name it "Abolition Hall" would have been reckless and provocative. "Pennsylvania Hall" was a neutral alternative. "The Board of Managers took pains to make clear that the hall was not exclusively for the use of abolitionists. It was to be open on an equal basis for rental by any groups 'for any purpose not of an immoral character'." The Hall

1269-518: The most popular pamphlet of the century, with over a quarter million copies printed (on both sides of the Atlantic). The pamphlet solidified and concentrated abolitionist efforts. The pamphlet made a case for consumer complicity in slavery: "If we purchase the commodity we participate in the crime. The slave dealer, the slave holder, and the slave driver, are virtually agents of the consumer, and may be considered as employed and hired by him to procure

1316-414: The move Lundy's successor, John Greenleaf Whittier , took over as editor, and the name changed to Pennsylvania Freeman . However, the press had not yet been moved at the time of the fire, and thus escaped destruction. The following is from a letter to the editor signed "J. A. G.", published in a New York newspaper on May 30: In the first place, it is certain that nothing which occurred in that hall

1363-654: The paid labor of free people. Though the free-produce movement was not intended to be a religious response to slavery, most of the free-produce stores were Quaker in origin, for example the first such store, that of Benjamin Lundy in Baltimore in 1826. In 1826, the American abolitionist boycott began in earnest when abolitionist Quakers in Wilmington, Delaware , drew up a charter for a formal free-produce organization;

1410-473: The product was never viable, even when he switched his focus from sugar cane to sugar beets . The free produce movement was not a success and most places abandoned it after a few years. Non-slave produce was more expensive and sometimes hard to locate, or it faced high tariffs blocking imports. In some cases the origin of the goods could not be determined. Sometimes the non-slave goods were of poorer quality; one storeowner "not infrequently received sugar 'with

1457-505: The sale of products grown or produced without slave labor ( free produce ). The first floor also contained "a neat lecture room" seating between 200 and 300 persons, fronting on Haines Street. There were two committee rooms and three large entries and stairways 7 feet (2.1 m) wide leading to the second floor. On the second floor there was a large auditorium, with three galleries, on the third floor, surrounding it, "seating all told perhaps as many as three thousand persons. The building

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1504-507: The same year in Baltimore, Maryland , Lundy opened his store selling only goods obtained by labor from free people. In 1827, the movement grew broader with the formation in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , of the "Free Produce Society" founded by Thomas M'Clintock and other radical Quakers. With the Society, they added a new tactic, one that sought to determine the unseen costs of goods such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar which came from

1551-604: The site was "symbolically and strategically ideal". It was near where the United States was born, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were created. It was also in the middle of the Philadelphia Quaker community, so active in the beginnings of the abolition of slavery and in aiding fugitives . Considering the organization that built it, the offices and stores located there, and

1598-458: The time of the riot. The Mayor of Philadelphia had advance knowledge of an "organized band" prepared to disrupt the meeting and "perhaps do injury to the building": [T]he Mayor went to some of the leading members of the society owning this building, and represented to them the great danger of continuing to hold their meetings, and he especially urged upon them the propriety of not assembling that evening, as he had every reason to believe that there

1645-544: The toil of slaves. Quaker women joined the Society, including Lucretia Coffin Mott , who spoke out at Society meetings, giving some of her male associates their first experience of hearing a woman lecture. Lydia Child , who would publish an important volume of abolitionist writings, The Oasis , kept a "free" dry goods store in Philadelphia in 1831. In 1830, African-American men formed the "Colored Free Produce Society of Pennsylvania", subsequently, African-American women formed

1692-461: Was an organized band prepared to break up the meeting, and perhaps do injury to the building and crowded as the walk must be by the company, this could not be done without personal injury and loss of life. Meetings were being held in the building before its formal opening on May 14. Throughout the ceremonies, blacks and whites sat in the audience without separation, and except for those meetings specifically for women, men and women did as well. Such

1739-574: Was built by the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society "because abolitionists had such a difficult time finding space for their meetings". The building was designed by architect Thomas Somerville Stewart ; it was his first major building. To finance construction a joint-stock company was created. Two thousand people bought $ 20 shares, raising over $ 40,000. Others donated material and labor. In January, 1838, Theodore Dwight Weld declined an offer to deliver "an address" upon

1786-438: Was established in 1846, and by 1850 there were at least 26 regional associations. Quaker George W. Taylor established a textile mill which used only non-slave cotton. He worked to increase the quality and availability of free-produce cotton goods. Abolitionist Henry Browne Blackwell invested his and his wife Lucy Stone 's money in several ventures seeking to make cheaper sugar by using mechanical means and non-slave labor, but

1833-488: Was greatly praised in Southern newspapers. A Northern newspaper, defending slavery, blamed the riot on the abolitionists. The mayor of Philadelphia, John Swift , offered a $ 2000 reward, and the Governor of Pennsylvania, Joseph Ritner , offered $ 500. Samuel Yaeger, described as "a man of considerable property, and the father of five children", was arrested. He is presumably the arrested "individual of good standing" who

1880-531: Was not the mere outbreak of popular indignation, for facts are already known sufficient to prove that there was a complete organization for the destruction of that building, and these facts will in due time be disclosed; and, I may add, that there were too many gentlemen from a certain section of the country, lodging at a certain hotel in Philadelphia , under the pretext of attending the Camden Races, and that these gentlemen were too unguarded in their remarks at

1927-400: Was observed "busily engaged in tearing down the blinds, and inciting others to the destruction of the building." Another man was arrested with him. Other arrests were made, but there were no trials, much less convictions, and the rewards were never claimed. The mayor of Philadelphia, John Swift , received a lot of criticism in the press. The mob burning the Hall gave "shouts of derision at

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1974-509: Was only six months after the murder of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy by a pro-slavery mob in Illinois, a free state. The abolitionist movement consequently became stronger. The process repeated itself with Pennsylvania Hall; the movement gained strength because of the outrage the burning caused. Abolitionists realized that in some places they would be met with violence. The country became more polarized. Located at 109 N. 6th Street in Philadelphia ,

2021-517: Was required to sustain the flow. New York City's small population of African Americans was said to require for their sugar the labor of 50 slaves. Resolutions in favor of free produce were passed at each of the first five conventions held by African Americans in the 1830s. Henry Highland Garnet preached in New York about the possibility that free produce could strike a blow against slavery. Black abolitionist Frances Ellen Watkins always mentioned

2068-558: Was set up by the Philadelphia Hall Society to raise $ 50,000 [ sic ] with which to rebuild. Nothing further was heard of this attempt. All sources agree that since it was destroyed by a mob, the city was financially responsible for the building's damages, according to a recent law. After many years and much litigation the Anti-Slavery Society was able to recover a part of the loss from

2115-518: Was the cause of its destruction; for, while in Philadelphia, I was credibly informed that intimation that its destruction was resolved upon was given to the managers of the building several weeks previously to its completion; and it was from a knowledge of this fact that [abolitionist] Alvan Stewart, Esq, of Utica , in a speech delivered on Wednesday afternoon, before any disturbance had occurred, publicly stated that there were reasons for believing that Pennsylvania Hall would before many days be in ruins. It

2162-502: Was used by the abolitionist movement as a non-violent way for individuals, including the disenfranchised , to fight slavery . In this context, free signifies "not enslaved" (i.e. "having the legal and political rights of a citizen" ). It does not mean " without cost ". Similarly, "produce" does not mean just fruits and vegetables, but a wide variety of products made by slaves, including clothing, dry goods, shoes, soaps, ice cream, and candy. The concept originated among members of

2209-550: Was ventilated through the roof, so fresh air could be obtained without opening the windows. It was lighted with gas. The interior appointments were luxurious." Above the stage was a banner with Pennsylvania's motto , "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence". In the basement, because of the weight of the press and type, was to be the press for the Society's abolitionist newspaper, the National Enquirer and General Register , which had been edited by Benjamin Lundy , but with

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