The Constitution of the Connecticut Society for the Promotion of Freedom, and for the Relief of Persons Unlawfully Holden in Bondage, as Revised and Enlarged on the 13th Day of September 1792.

The Third Anti-Slavery State Organization in the United States

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The rare second constitution of Connecticut’s first abolitionist society, formed at a time when the Nutmeg State had allowed just over 2,700 individuals to be in bondage.

In 1784, the state of Connecticut adopted gradual emancipation laws over the immediate abolishment of slavery. In America “formal opposition to slavery, through societies organized tor that purpose, began in 1787, but on a very limited scale.” (Dumond) In 1785 and 1789, respectively, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania also formed societies.

In 1790, the Connecticut Society for the Promotion of Freedom, and for the Relief of Persons Holden in Bondage was organized. Its first constitution was printed in this year, but only consisted of 8 brief articles [ESTC W4322m, 2 copies].

In 1792, as seen by the present item, the society’s constitution was amended and expanded to 12 articles. The most important of these was Article 8:

“The Members of this Society shall individually and collectively cooperate with such Societies as have been or hereafter may be formed in the United States of America, or others parts of the world, for the extension of freedom, or the abolition of slavery; they shall endeavor to enforce an obedience to the laws which are or shall be enacted in this State for the progressive extension of freedom; and shall, to the utmost of their power, afford relief to persons unlawfully holden in bondage. They shall also endeavor to promote the education, enlighten the minds, and correct the morals of Negroes, to render them industrious, and furnish them with the means of honest employment.”

In 1794, the society promoted the complete abolition of slavery in Connecticut, but the bill failed. “Its most immediate contribution probably was the sponsorship of lectures or orations, some of which are choice items among late eighteenth-century antislavery literature ... It was important [that its members] like Zephaniah Swift, Jonathan Edwards, James Dana, Noah Webster, and Theodore Dwight should have spoken boldly against the slave trade and slavery, at this time.” (Dumond)

The society had a multifaceted approach to fighting slavery. It advocated for immediate abolition while also educating the public about the harms and costs of the “peculiar institution.”

Additionally, the organization diligently worked to promote the rights and dignity of enslaved people, serving as a model that inspired other anti-slavery organizations across the country.

An exceedingly rare and vital historical document from an early American anti-slavery organization.

Price: $35,000.00