Philadelphia History Museum

The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent will treat and conserve an 1833 American Anti-Slavery Society Convention broadside. Printed on silk, this commemorative declaration publicized the Society's belief that the immediate emancipation of enslaved people was necessary and put forth an ambitious action plan to prompt citizens, the press, and religious leaders to join the cause. Supporters who chose to display this declaration did so at personal risk, including violence and harassment against them or their families, loss of business, and loss of friends. Today, the piece is an important element of the museum's Quest for Freedom program, an interactive educational lesson that allows participants to examine, first-hand, Philadelphia's pivotal role in the abolitionist and Underground Railroad movements.