Antislavery and Abolition in Philadelphia: Emancipation and the Long Struggle for Racial Justice in the City of Brotherly Love

Abstract

The roots of Antislavery and Abolition in Philadelphia stretch back to the early 2000s, when work on the construction of Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center revealed that the site had been the location of the homes of several African Americans during the late eighteenth century. Prompted by the local black community, the National Park Service instigated public engagement and scholarly work on Philadelphia’s antislavery history. That initiative has at long last led to the publication of this volume. The editors hope that the nine essays will underscore the centrality of urban areas—especially Philadelphia—to the antislavery movement. Compared to many collections like this one, the essays in Antislavery and Abolition in Philadelphia are tightly focused. There is also a conversation going on here. The essays refer frequently to each other, highlighting connections that readers might miss. While the essays fail to make the case that Philadelphia deserves more credit for its role in the abolitionist movement, they do clarify the remarkable ways that the city’s antislavery communities advanced the cause of human freedom.

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