bonds of wickedness, and setting the
oppressed free, is evidently a duty incumbent on all professors of
Christianity, but more especially at a time when justice, liberty, and
the laws of the land are the general topics among most ranks and
stations of men. Therefore, being desirous, as much as in us lies, to
contribute towards obtaining relief for all such as are kept thus
unjustly in thralldom, we have agreed to inspect and take charge of
all the particular cases which may hereafter come to our knowledge;
and that our good intentions may operate the more successfully, and be
of general utility to such as stand in need of our assistance, we
judge it expedient to form ourselves into a regular society, by the
name of "The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes unlawfully held in
Bondage." The officers elected were John Baldwin, President; Samuel
Davis, Treasurer; Thomas Harrison, Secretary. Six members were also
appointed a Committee of Inspection, and a number of cases were
forthwith committed to their care. Edw. Needles's Historical Memoir of
the Pennsylvania Society, p. 15.

[16] Appended to the Rules and Regulations, is the act of 1780,
providing for the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania. The
members of the Philadelphia Society were especially active in
procuring the passage of this act. Anthony Benezet held private
interviews with every member of the government on the subject. The act
passed the assembly by a vote of 34 to 21. The minority entered a
protest against it on several grounds: First, because it would be
offensive to other states, and would weaken the bonds of union with
them; Second, while they approved of the justice and humanity of
manumitting slaves in time of peace, this was not the proper time;
Third, they did not approve of slaves becoming citizens, of their
voting and being voted for, of intermarrying with white persons, etc.;
Fourth, because the motion to postpone to the next session of the
Assembly had been overruled.

[17] James Pemberton and Jonathan Penrose were chosen Vice-Presidents;
James Starr, Treasurer; and Wm. Lewis, John D. Cox, Miers Fisher, and
Wm. Rawle, Counselors. Thirty-six new members were elected at this
meeting. The preamble of the new organization was as follows: "It
having pleased the Creator of the world to make of one flesh all the
children of men, it becomes them to consult and promote each other's
happiness, as members of the same family, however diversified