National Anti-Slavery Society Convention
New York City hosts the first National Anti-Slavery Society Convention.
Convention of the Anti-Slavery Society of American Women
New York City hosts the first Convention of the Anti-Slavery Society of American Women, an event attended by both black and white women.
Blacks Lose Right to Vote
Blacks in Pennsylvania and Mississippi lose the right to vote. In New York, they petition for continued voting rights.
Vigilance Committee Organized
Philadelphia blacks, under the leadership of well-to-do Robert Purvis, organize the Vigilance Committee to aid and assist fugitive slaves. Purvis’ wife, Harriett Forten Purvis, the daughter of successful black businessman James Forten, leads the Female Vigilant Society. By his contemporaries, Robert Purvis is referred to as the President of the Underground Railroad.
Antislavery Convention of American Women
First gathering of the Antislavery Convention of American Women, an inter-racial association of various female antislavery groups, becomes the first independent women’s political organization.
Founding of the Institute for Colored Youth
Founding of the Institute for Colored Youth, which later became Cheyney University, one of the earliest historically black colleges in the United States.