58-647: The Fugitive Slave Convention was held in Cazenovia, New York , on August 21 and 22, 1850. It was a fugitive slave meeting, the biggest ever held in the United States. Madison County, New York , was the abolition headquarters of the country, because of philanthropist and activist Gerrit Smith , who lived in neighboring Peterboro, New York , and called the meeting "in behalf of the New York State Vigilance Committee ." Hostile newspaper reports refer to
116-484: A carriage with two escaped slaves. His fiancée, Theodosia Gilbert, attended the convention. There was a resolution by James C. Jackson that was adopted to create a committee to raise money in order to liberate Chaplin. He advised them to raise $ 20,000 in 30 days. They also called upon the Liberty Party to nominate Chaplin as its candidate in the 1852 presidential election . The meeting was called to order at 10 AM "at
174-593: A library in Madison County it is a part of the Mid-York Library System. It is located at 100 Albany Street, Cazenovia, NY. In its original building it houses specimens and historical artifacts that have been generously donated to the library. The first incidence of a library in Cazenovia was started in 1828 by John Williams, a general store owner and merchant. His library “consisting of 200 vols.” were lent to
232-431: A modern extension was built in 1996. Robert J. Hubbard also donated his collection of souvenirs from his 1894 Grand Tour trip. One of the most notable artifacts he brought back was an ancient Egyptian mummy . Colored conventions The Colored Conventions Movement , or Black Conventions Movement , was a series of national, regional, and state conventions held irregularly during the decades preceding and following
290-544: A picture of the principal attendees, taken to show Chaplin his supporters meeting. Even more important, the abolitionist philanthropist Gerrit Smith , one of the Secret Six that years later would finance John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry , lived only 10 miles (16 km) away, in more rural Peterboro . The first book on Madison County, of 1899, says much of Smith, but mentions neither the Convention nor Ezra Weld. The meeting
348-522: A place where slave catchers did not dare show their faces. "The vicinity of Cazenovia and Syracuse was such a locality where the enforcement of the fugitive slave enactments was vigorously and violently opposed." He helped every fugitive that reached his home in neighboring Peterboro — feeding them, sheltering them, and helping them get to Syracuse , also safe, and from there across nearby Lake Ontario to Canada. A visitor in 1841 described Peterboro thus: At Peterboro, I found as may well be expected, it
406-422: A resident’s right to possess or consume cannabis, however villages can prohibit retail outlets from selling it. On July 1, 2021, the village board voted unanimously to opt out of allowing retail cannabis sales in the village. It was one of the first villages in the state to opt out. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,614 people, 943 households, and 522 families residing in the village. The population density
464-469: A third were Blacks, and "a large portion of the remainder" were women. 500 delegates passed through Utica en route to the Cazenovia convention. Reports give total attendance as 2,000. A newspaper story mistakenly reported that John Brown was present and "made a very fiery speech" (in 1850) about his need of funds to buy arms for his and his sons' use fighting slavery in Kansas (1855–56). This speech of Brown
522-474: Is a village located in the Town of Cazenovia in Madison County , New York , United States. As of the 2010 census, the village had a population of 2,835. The village lies on the southeastern shore of Cazenovia Lake , which is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) long and .5 mile across. Cazenovia is within a half hour of Syracuse, New York . The village is located on US Route 20 and New York State Route 13 , and
580-635: Is seated at the table with pen and paper in hand, documenting through the picture that "the document" was indeed prepared by the group. To her left is Frederick Douglass ; to her right, also with pen, is Joseph Hathaway ; behind her stands Gerrit Smith , flanked by the Edmonson sisters . One of the sisters, probably Mary, addressed the crowd. One audience member described her as a "young and noble-hearted girl", using "words of simple and touching eloquence". On February 24, 2023, students at Broome Community College ( SUNY Broome ) presented "an original reenactment of
638-618: The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the first independent black denomination in the United States. The idea of buying land in Canada quickly gave way to addressing problems they faced at home, such as education and labor rights. Philadelphia was the hub of the Colored Conventions movement for several years before nearby cities such as New York City , Albany , and Pittsburgh also started hosting conventions. By
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#1732872278443696-519: The American Civil War . The delegates who attended these conventions consisted of both free and formerly enslaved African Americans , including religious leaders, businessmen, politicians, writers, publishers, editors, and abolitionists . The conventions provided "an organizational structure through which black men could maintain a distinct black leadership and pursue black abolitionist goals." Colored conventions occurred in thirty-one states across
754-647: The Cazenovia High School Academic Decathlon team won the school's first state title, sending the team to the national competition in Chicago . The team retained its state title the following four years, traveling to national competitions in San Antonio, Texas , in 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii , in 2007, Anaheim, California , in 2008, and Memphis, Tennessee , in 2009. On March 31, 2021, New York State legalized recreational cannabis. Villages can't limit
812-849: The National Convention of Colored Men in Syracuse, NY founded the National Equal Rights Leagues and attempted to form state-level Equal Rights League chapters across the United States. In response to a denial of African American admittance to the National Labor Union, community leaders formed the Colored National Labor Union (CNLU) in December 1869. Many former Colored Convention delegates, including Isaac Myers and Frederick Douglass, were instrumental in organizing
870-453: The 1850s, the conventions were extremely popular and multiple national, state, and local conventions were held every year. Although the majority of these antebellum conventions were held in northern, particularly New England states, conventions are documented as taking place in Kansas , Louisiana , and California . The conventions attracted the most prominent African-American leaders from across
928-811: The August 1, 1850, issue of the National Anti-Slavery Standard : It was promptly reprinted in Frederick Douglass's North Star , William Garrison's Liberator , and other anti-slavery papers. It was also reprinted, with outrage, in a number of Southern and pro-slavery Northern newspapers. The convention opened at what the announcement called "the Independent Church", later the Free Congregational Church of Cazenovia and then (2022) Cazenovia College 's theater building. The capacity
986-507: The Black man's motto as well. "You are prisoners of war...and therefore, by all the rules of war, you have the fullest liberty to plunder, burn, and kill, as you may have occasion to do to promote your escape." It was reprinted in part in many papers, especially the passage endorsing violence, and in full in the abolition newspapers. This—not the meeting itself—was national news. Text of the Letter to
1044-640: The CNLU. Colored Conventions continued to take place in the late 1880s and 1890s, including Indianapolis in 1887 and state conventions in New Jersey, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. The convention movement slowed by the end of the century. T. Thomas Fortune 's National Afro-American League was formed in 1890 and held national and state-level meetings throughout the 1890s. From 1896 to 1914, W. E. B. Du Bois held an annual conference at Atlanta University of national importance. In 1898, bishop Alexander Walters founded
1102-476: The Chaplin Fund Committee was issued, dated the 22nd. On the last afternoon, the question of free produce was examined. Mr. Smith declared himself an abstainer from slave produce. What distinguished this convention from other anti-slavery meetings was the open letter titled "To American Slaves from those who have fled from American Slavery", written, "it is said", by Gerrit Smith, who introduced it to
1160-464: The Convention, of which you are the representative, for the confidence they have expressed, and I hope sincerely that the colored people of the Nation may receive every protection which the laws give to them. They shall have my efforts to secure such protection." During Reconstruction the national, state, and local Colored Conventions evolved into other kinds of state and national organizations. Delegates at
1218-500: The Free Church" by James C. Jackson. Samuel Joseph May was chosen President pro tem and temporary secretary Samuel Thomas Jr. May then appointed Samuel Wells, J.W. Loguen, and Charles B. Ray to a committee to nominate official officers. Later in the convention, official officers were appointed by this committee to major positions. Frederick Douglass was appointed to president. Joseph C. Hathaway, Rev. Francis Hawley (a woman, pastor of
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#17328722784431276-541: The Free Church), Charles B. Ray , and Charles A. Wheaton were appointed for vice presidents. Charles D. Miller and Anne V. Adams were appointed for secretaries. Joseph C. Hathaway, William R. Smith, Eleazer Seymour, and James C. Jackson were appointed to nominate people for the “Chaplin Committee”, "whose business it shall be to adaopt such measures, as they shall judge fit to effect his liberation," which might well "require
1334-599: The General Agent of the New York State Antislavery Society , to make a dramatic appearance with some fugitive slaves that he was to spirit out off the South. It was not to be; things went awry. The meeting was chaired by Douglass. The local links with the abolitionist movement were Theodore Weld 's brother Ezra Greenleaf Weld , who owned a daguerrotype (photography) studio in Cazenovia and to whom we owe
1392-647: The Liberty Party, from The North Star , September 5, 1850, p. 3. The body recommended to the Liberty Party that at its upcoming convention in Oswego , they nominate Chaplin for president. Text of the Resolutions, from The North Star , September 5, 1850, p. 3. The statements published "exceed in atrocity the most sanguinary edicts of the most sanguinary club which sat during the French revolution." They are "a sad portent in
1450-524: The United States and in Ontario, Canada. The movement involved more than five thousand delegates and tens of thousands of attendees. The minutes from these conventions show that Antebellum African Americans sought justice beyond the emancipation of their enslaved countrymen: they also organized to discuss labor, health care, temperance, emigration, voting rights, the right to a trial by jury, and educational equality. The Colored Conventions Movement antedated
1508-570: The appearance of newspapers such as Freedom's Journal , and was first suggested by Hezekiah Grice . The first documented convention was held at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia in September 1830. Delegates to this convention discussed the prospect of emigrating to Canada to find refuge from the harsh fugitive slave laws and legal discrimination under which they lived. The first convention elected as president Richard Allen , founder of
1566-512: The attendees; Smith's authorship was confirmed by Garrison in The Liberator . This letter encouraged those still enslaved to run away, saying it was their duty to do so, and exposing the lies of their owners about life in the North. It recommended those escaping enslavement steal their owners' fastest horses and their cash. It quotes the state motto of Virginia—"Death to Tyrants"—and says it should be
1624-586: The attention of the people of the [S]outh to it as a sample of the opinions and feelings of the North in relation to the rights of the South... Senator Daniel Dickinson , of New York, responded that Mr. Yulee "would never have alluded to it if he knew the scorn and contempt with which all such proceedings were looked upon by the great mass of people of all parties, in the North." Further meetings were announced in Canastota (October 23), Cazenovia (October 25), Hamilton (October 30), and Peterboro (November 1). Many of
1682-410: The average family size was 2.93. In the village, the population was spread out, with 18.1% under the age of 18, 26.1% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.9 males. The median income for a household in the village
1740-701: The cause of humanity.” The meeting was called to order by C. B. Ray, prayer by Rev. Mr. Snow. During the first part of the afternoon session, the Chaplin affair was addressed, with a lengthy oral report by Joseph Hathaway, who had visited Chaplin in jail. On the conclusion, the Address Committee reported on two proposals: one "to the slaves of the South from the fugitives of the North," and one to "the Abolition party" (the Liberty Party ), recommending Chaplin be chosen as their candidate for governor. The convention got down to
1798-630: The convention adjourned. The main item of business, the Letter to the Slaves, had been adopted after hard and protacted debate. Much of it was telegraphed to the New York papers that night. Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Snow, after which the evening was spent on the address and resolutions. According to the Madison County Whig , on the 2nd day, at the point of greatest attendance there were 700 present. A circular from
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1856-662: The convention proceedings, published in Frederick Douglass's North Star and the National Anti-Slavery Standard , most easily consulted in Proceedings of the Black State Conventions 1840–1865 , the Madison County Whig , and the New-York Tribune , from where they were reprinted elsewhere, attending the convention were: Various estimates of attendance were made. The Madison County Whig reported 250, of whom
1914-611: The country, including Frederick Douglass , Charles Bennett Ray , Lewis Hayden , Charles Lenox Remond , Mary Ann Shadd , and William Still . Following the Civil War, Colored Conventions began to appear in the Southern states as well, with one author noting that "we can not deny that the various conventions of the colored people in the late insurrectionary States compare favorably with those of their white brethren...their resolutions are of an elevated humanity and common sense to which those of
1972-406: The early 19th century, national and local conventions involving a variety of political and social issues were pursued by increasing numbers of Americans. In 1830 and 1831, political parties held their first national nominating conventions. Historian Howard H. Bell notes that the convention movement grew out of a trend toward greater self-expression among African Americans and was largely fostered by
2030-537: The events at The Cazenovia Convention." This presentation, featuring students playing Frederick Douglass , Gerrit Smith , and the Edmonson sisters , and featuring songs such as "I hear the voice of Lovejoy from Alton's bloody plain", was repeated at the 2023 Juneteenth celebration at the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum , in Peterboro, New York . Cazenovia (village), New York Cazenovia
2088-494: The expenditure of large sums of money." This committee ended up consisting of around 19 people. Some of the committee members included James C. Jackson, Joseph C. Hathaway, William R. Smith, and George W. Lawson. A group of women including Mrs. F. Rice, Phebe Hathaway, and Louisa Burnett were appointed to nominate a committee of females. This committee would obtain a silver pitcher and two silver goblets to present them to William C. Chaplin, in honor of “his distinguished services in
2146-602: The founding of any formal anti-slavery movement in the United States. The conventions significantly increased in number following the Civil War. The Antebellum and postwar colored conventions were the precursors to larger, 20th-century African-American organizations, including the Colored National Labor Union , the Niagara Movement , and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In
2204-798: The history of public affairs," which "augurs alarming consequences to the Union." According to the New York Herald , the "free nigger convention" was "one of the most bare-faced, impudent, and presumpt[u]ous exhibitions of fanaticism and treason, which was ever perpetrated in any country." Compared with previous abolitionist meetings, the people at Cazenovia were extraordinarily diverse. Not only were there both Black and white participants, there were many women, who were welcomed. A correspondent wrote, "A large number of persons of every sect in religion, of every party in politics, and every shade of complexion, met in this magnificent temple of nature" [the grove]. Based on
2262-406: The main item of business, the letter to the slaves. The Committee on Resolutions presented a report, and a committee of 23 was appointed to raise money to aid in Chaplin's defense. Since no larger church would allow the meeting, Gerrit Smith moved that they meet the next day in his home town, Peterboro, 10 miles away, which motion failed. A grove was obtained for use the next day. It was 10 pm when
2320-656: The meeting as "Gerrit Smith's Convention". Nearly fifty fugitives attended—the largest gathering of fugitive slaves in the nation's history. This was one month before the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed by the United States Congress ; its passage was a foregone conclusion, and the convention never even discussed how its passage could be prevented. Instead the question was what the existing fugitive slaves were to do, and how their friends could help them. Many resolutions and position statements were passed; this
2378-416: The newspaper reports add significant details. A feature of the convention, as originally planned, was that William Chaplin was to make "a dramatic appearance", together with some enslaved who he had helped escape. Chaplin was a radical political abolitionist who helped plan the escape of 77 slaves from Washington, D.C. This plan ultimately failed and Chaplin was later arrested after he was caught driving
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2436-479: The other Conventions make no pretension." More Colored Conventions took place in the South during the late 1860s than the entire antebellum period. The post-war conventions culminated with the 1869 National Convention of Colored Men in Washington, D.C. The convention delegates wrote a letter congratulating General Ulysses S. Grant for being elected President of the United States, to which Grant responded, "I thank
2494-624: The participants of this convention were also involved in a later anti-fugitive slave law meeting in Syracuse, New York , on Tuesday, January 7, 1851, presided over by Frederick Douglass; 17 resolutions and an address were adopted. There is one and only one visual image of the meeting, in the daguerreotype held by the Madison County Historical Society, with a smaller copy (image flipped) in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. It
2552-406: The population. There were 943 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and
2610-538: The public for free. It was not until 1886 that the Cazenovia Library Society was formed. Societies like it maintained their libraries “through membership, lending fees, and gifts” In 1890, Robert J. Hubbard purchased and donated a house for the library's use. Built in the Greek Revival style, it had been built in 1830 for John Williams. The ground floor of the house served as the main library building until
2668-455: Was $ 43,611, and the median income for a family was $ 61,750. Males had a median income of $ 45,662 versus $ 30,893 for females. The per capita income for the village was $ 23,424. About 2.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over. The Cazenovia Public Library is a public library located in the town of Cazenovia (village), New York, United States. As
2726-408: Was 1,660.3 inhabitants per square mile (641.0/km ). There were 1,031 housing units at an average density of 654.8 per square mile (252.8/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 95.37% White , 2.41% Black or African American , 0.38% Native American , 0.54% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.27% from other races , and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.75% of
2784-467: Was 400, and there were hundreds who could not get in. There was an unsuccessful attempt to move the meeting to the Methodist church, and a resolution by Gerrit Smith to move the meeting to nearby Peterboro was defeated. As no other church would host the meeting, it moved the next day to "the orchard of Grace Wilson's School, located on Sullivan Street." Although there were in 1850s no railroads in Cazenovia, it
2842-593: Was a colored conventions movement, but these were free blacks that were meeting. The Convention in Cazenovia—Peterboro was a "tiny hamlet", too small for the number of visitors expected—is the only "Convention of Slaves" ever held in the United States, as it was called by Douglass in The North Star . Douglass, a Black man, presided. Peterboro is since about 2005 the site of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum . The following announcement appeared in
2900-766: Was all Abolition—Abolition in doors and out—Abolition in the churches and Abolition in the stores—Abolition in the field and Abolition by the wayside. If I should use a figure, I would say that Peterboro is Bible-baptized into Abolition, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Between 1840 and 1843 three different abolitionist weeklies were published in Cazenovia: the Cazenovia Abolitionist, Onondaga and Madison Abolitionist , and Madison County Abolitionist. There
2958-615: Was at a different, later meeting (in Syracuse). Many negative reports on the convention were published by pro-slavery newspapers. The convention was mentioned in the U.S. Senate the next day, August 23, during debate on the 1850 Fugitive Slave Bill: During the debate upon the bill, Mr. Yulee [ Senator Yulee , of Florida] read from the New York Journal of Commerce a report of an amalgamated ["racially" mixed] Convention at Cazenovia, commenting on its incendiary address, and calling
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#17328722784433016-464: Was forgotten until a daguerrotype was discovered in the archives of the Madison County Historical Society in 1994. Judge Hugh C. Humphreys, who found the daguerrotype, identified the meeting through period newspapers. New York was the safest state for fugitive slaves, according to Gerrit Smith , the richest man in New York State and organizer of the convention. He made of Madison County in particular
3074-527: Was home to Cazenovia College . Cazenovia was established in 1794 by John Lincklaen , a young Dutch naval officer who purchased the town under the auspices of the Holland Land Company . Some of the first buildings established in Cazenovia were what is now the Presbyterian Church and the company store. The town is named after Theophilus Cazenove , an agent with the land company. The village
3132-822: Was incorporated in 1810 and was the first county seat (until 1817). Many of the village's historic buildings are encompassed by the Albany Street Historic District and Cazenovia Village Historic District . Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the Lehigh Valley Railroad Depot . The most famous event in Cazenovia's history was the 1850 Fugitive Slave Convention , organized by abolitionist Gerrit Smith and chaired by former slave Frederick Douglass to consider how to react to Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 , which passed days later. The Lorenzo New York State Historic Site
3190-573: Was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in July 1970. This land, located off Route 13 (Rippleton Road), now belongs to the NY State Historic Trust after being bought from the previous owner, George Ledyard, upon his death. There is a school house, mansion, farmhouse, and a landscaped garden that guests can tour throughout the year by appointment or during regular hours. In 2005,
3248-451: Was said to have had 2,000 to 3,000 participants. In the 1850 census the population of Cazenovia was 4,800. Two newspapers, the Madison Daily Whig and the Utica Daily Gazette (also Whig ) sent reporters, who with the Cazenovia weekly provided detailed, session-by-session accounts. The Gazette' s reports were reprinted nationally, although the New York Tribune got much of the credit. The official minutes were quite abbreviated and
3306-510: Was taken by Ezra Greenleaf Weld , Theodore's brother, who owned a daguerrotype studio in Cazenovia. Daguerrotypes could not be taken casually, as those being photographed had to hold themselves immobile for some seconds. That of the Cazenovia Convention is a formal group picture, outdoors because of the sunlight. It was intended for the eyes of William L. Chaplin , in jail in Washington for having assisted two slaves in an unsuccessful escape attempt. Chaplin's future wife, Theodosia Gilbert Chaplin,
3364-426: Was the first time slaves still in bondage were publicly encouraged to abscond, stealing their master's fastest horse and money, and using violence if necessary. Participants included Frederick Douglass , until recently himself a fugitive slave, the Edmonson sisters , Gerrit Smith , Samuel Joseph May , Theodore Dwight Weld , his wife Angelina Grimké , and others. The original plan had been for William L. Chaplin ,
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