s. The efforts of this liberal group, too, were not
long in taking organized form. While there were several local organizations
operating in various parts, the efforts of the anti-slavery people centered
around the North Carolina Manumission Society. It had over forty branches
at one time, besides several associations of women, all extending into
seven or eight of the most populous counties of the State. This society
denounced the importation and exportation of slaves, and favored providing
for manumissions, legalizing slave contracts for the purchase of freedom,
and enacting a law that at a certain age all persons should be born
free.[28] That these reformers had considerable influence is evidenced by
the fact that in 1826 a member of the manumission society was elected to
the State Senate. In 1824 and 1826 two thousand slaves were freed in North
Carolina.[29] Among the distinguished men who at times supported this
movement in various ways were Hinton Rowan Helper, Benjamin S. Hedrick,
Daniel R. Goodloe, Eli W. Caruthers, and Lunsford Lane, a colored orator
and lecturer of considerable ability.[30] They constituted a hopeless
minority, however, for the liberal element saw their hopes completely
blasted in the triumph of the slave party in the Convention of 1835, which
made everything subservient to the institution of slavery.

In the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee conditions were a little more
encouraging, especially between 1817 and 1830. The anti-slavery work in
Kentucky seemed to owe its beginning to certain "Emancipating Baptists."
Early in the history of that State six Baptist preachers, Carter Tarrant,
David Darrow, John Sutton, Donald Holmes, Jacob Gregg, and George Smith,
began an anti-slavery campaign, maintaining that there should be no
fellowship with slaveholders.[31] They were unable to effect much, however,
because of the fact that they had no extensive organization through
which to extend their efforts. Every church remained free to decide for
itself and even in Northern States the Baptists later winked at slavery.
More effective than these efforts of the Baptists was the work of the
Scotch-Irish. Led by David Rice, a minister of the Presbyterian Church,
the anti-slavery element tried to exclude slavery from the State when
framing its first constitution in the Convention of 1792.[32] Another
effort thus to amend the fundamental law was made at the session of the
legislature of 1797-98, and had it not