In April, news channels reported the opening salvo of the American Civil War at Fort Sumter, South Carolina April 5th,1860, by covering its re-enactment by enthusiastic Civil War buffs. Clad in Conferderate and Union uniforms, blasting away with cannons on the last, official Federal Fort, Civil War re-enactors, a growing hobby among our citizens, had everyone from Rachel Maddow to conservative Fox News memorilizing this historic event. Commemoration of the Civil War battles has become a triving business with people from coast to coast dressing up in period costumes to re-enact the battles, but not the context, that drove our nation into one of the bloodiest wars in our history. But, without that context, it seems to me that the Confederacy is winning the coverage in 2011 as more citizens invest time, energy and money in depicting the battles and capturing the media's attention without any presentation of the actual reasons for why the war was fought. No mention of slavery and its ugly history that for me has always managed to hide itself behind the "states rights" arguments by Southerns and Southern sympathizers. No mention is made of the economic advantages that slave holders and large plantation owners had over poorer white southern communities whose racism was stoked to satisfy a growing need for soldiers to fight for their economic security rather than simply sourthern pride.
Why no such re-enactments of the period before the War? Why no commenoration for example of May 17th, 1838, for example, when Phildelphia Hall was burned to the ground by Southern, pro-slavery sympathizers, a mere 4 days after its opening? Why no mention of the tremendous acts of common courage by a group of women, black and white, who continued their abolitionist meetings of the first, "amalgamated" (integrated) meeting of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. These women, despite a Philadelphia Mayor who wouldn't guarantee their safety and blamed them for causing the trouble, met for a second time to build a movement for women within the abolitionist ranks that many were shut out of by their male counterparts.
Philadelphia was becoming, by 1830, a central meeting place, for abolitionists throughout the country. But many large spaces like churches, were locking out growing numbers of men and women committed to the cause of ending slavery because of the growing violence against abolitionist meetings. One place that welcomed them was the home of Lucretia and James Mott. Lucretia Mott was already a well respected recorded member of the Religious Society of Friends, early in her career, and deeply troubled by the slave issue. She had already pledged not to use products made by slaves and along with James helped start the "Free Produce Movement" to stop using or selling goods made by slaves. William Lloyd Garrison was a frequent quest at the Motts and was impressed by their fund-raising on behalf of anti-slavery groups. But it wasn't enough to the Motts. A larger venue owned and operated by abolitionists would have to be buildt. So, in 1836, the Motts along with many other citizens began collecting funds for such a building.
On May 14th, 1838, Philadelphia Hall opened its doors for the first time. It was a modern gas lit building that had an auditorium and multiple meeting rooms on its first floor. Quaker poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, editor of the "Pennsylvania Freeman", a local abolitionist newspaper, would serve as the archivist for the growing movement. The building would serve as a clearing house for activists in Pennsylvania and beyond, a much needed permanent anchor, at a time when growing pro-slavery sentiments were becoming ever more strident and violent.
On May 15th, the Anti-Slavery Convention of Women, met together for the first time and passed resolutions calling for mass boycotting of slave produce and the ending of slavery in the nations capitol in DC. The luminaries of the women's anti-slavery cause were all there including Angelina Grimke Weld, Sarah Mapps Douglass, Charlotte Forten, Abby Foster Kelley and lastly, Lucretia Mott who moved the women to think out of the box of delicacy and participate fully with men on committees and in leadership positions equally. The idea of women integrated with men was considered radical for its time, a promiscuous notion for many. In addition, even more alarming for Philadelphia's citizens, was that many of the women attending this meeting were African American and spotted coming in and out with their white counter-parts.
By May 16th, leaflets and posters were appearing throughout the city asking Philadelphians to protest forcefully if necessary, the frequent gatherings of African American women and their white Abolitionists sisters. Beside the meetings themselves, Angelina Grimke married the Reverend Theodore Weld that same week and the site of black and white guests enjoying themselves together added more fuel to an already smoldering fire. Equally, upsetting was the appearence of women, black and white, making radical resolutions like boycotting slave products, collecting money for education of runaway slaves and, finally the last straw, serving directly on committees equally with men. The crowds by Thursday swelled to over 17,000 outside the Hall where the women met.
The President of the Hall, Daniel Neall, became so concerned about safety issues that he hastily put together a delegation to visit the Mayor seeking protection against what was looking more and more like a mob. Unmoved, the Mayor agreed to send in protection for the Hall itself "if" the African American women left the Hall. Lucretia Mott delivered the ultimatum. But undaunted, the women voted and agreed to leave the Hall, arm in arm, one black woman with one white woman, only after they finished business that day.
That night, with Pennsylvania Hall now locked and empty and "unguarded" by the Mayor's police, 17,000 pro-slavery zealots, broke into the building, collected all the books, broke up all the benches and gas pipes and set fire to the collected kindling. By 9pm, the fire ravaged the building while the city's fire brigades turned their hoses on the surrounding buildings or on the ground, doing little to save the Hall itself. John Greenleaf Whittier, disguising himself as a doctor in a white coat ran into the building to try and save the galley proofs of the Freeman newspaper and whatever else he could salvage.
By midnight, looking for fresh targets after the successfull destruction of Philadelphia Hall now a burnt out shell, the mob of 20,000 angry citizens headed towards the house where Lucretia Mott and her husband James usually stayed. Instead of running, Lucretia and James decided after sending off their nervous family to meet in silent worhip and await their fate. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Motts. The story is that a mysterious stranger, perhaps a friend of the Motts, led the now pretty drunk crowd the wrong way. But, the mob managed to turn their vengence on the Mother Bethel Church and the Shelter for Colored Orphans managing to damage both in their wake. Amazingly, no one was hurt.
Not to be discouraged the women decided to gather the next day at a local school, run by Quaker Sara Pugh. Unperturbed, they agreed to meet again the following year and in the mean time expand their social contacts with the black community.
James Mott would later write that "the color prejudice lurking within me was entirely destroyed that night in Phildelphia Hall". The women pledged to redouble their efforts to strengthen women's position within the Abolistionist movement by having their own seperate Female Anti-slavery Society to build women leaders and then have their leaders participate in the broader abolitionist movement side by side with men.