Absalom Jones - Born into slavery in Delaware, Absalom Jones was sold to a shopkeeper in Philadelphia. As a youth, Jones taught himself to read. Later, he attended a Quaker school in the evenings and eventually bought his freedom. He and Richard Allen helped form the Free African Society, which was dedicated to serving the needs of the black community in Philadelphia. Although Allen later withdrew from the Society, he supported Jones' plan for building the black community's first church. Absalom Jones became head of the St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, and frequently preached against slavery. Absalom Jones also joined Richard Allen and James Forten in marshalling two thousand five hundred volunteers to fortify the city of Philadelphia against the approaching British army.
Artwork courtesy of the Delaware Art Museum, gift of the Absalom Jones School, Wilmington.
Richard Allen - When Richard Allen was young, all of the other members of his family were sold to a different slaveholder. His owner in Delaware had a change of heart, and let Allen work to purchase his way out of bondage. After settling in Philadelphia, Allen joined Absalom Jones and other freedmen in founding the Free African Society. Shortly afterwards, the terrible yellow fever epidemic struck Philadelphia. Richard Allen and Absalom Jones organized the black community to assist the city in coping with that unknown disease which killed one in every ten of Philadelphia's inhabitants. The next year, Allen received permission from the Methodists to build his own Bethel Church, which also provided schooling for both adults and children. In 1816, Bethel Church became independent and the "mother" of other black Methodist Episcopal churches in Mid-Atlantic region.
James Forten - James Forten was an extremely successful businessman, and a highly respected member of Philadelphia's free black community. Forten was the great-grandson of a slave, and a youth who distinguished himself as a hero in a naval battle with the British during the Revolutionary War. Forten invented a device for handling sails, and became one of the major sailmakers in Philadelphia. He employed more than forty black and white men in his sailmaking business, and is said to have amassed a fortune in excess of $100,000. In 1797, he joined with Jones and Allen in petitioning the national government to end slavery. James Forten became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and participated in organizing the African American Antislavery Society in 1833.
William Still - William Still was a free African American who lived in Philadelphia. He was the leader of the General Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, a group which helped guide people fleeing slavery on their journey north. In 1871, Still published a book titled "The Underground Railroad." It was a collection of stories about the hardships, escapes, and struggles of the fugitive slaves whom he and his organization had helped.
Illustration by Richard Schlecht, Artist. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
Thomas Garrett - Thomas Garrett was a Quaker from Wilmington, and one of the most important Underground Railroad conductors in the area. After escaping slaves traveled north through rural Maryland and Delaware, Garrett would see that they safely reached Philadelphia (often by steamboat). Garrett was frequently helped by Harriet Tubman, a famous black conductor. Garrett's home at 227 Shipley Street in Wilmington was a railroad stop, and he is said to have harbored 2,700 fugitives in his time.
Illustration by Richard Schlecht, Artist. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
Harriet Tubman - Harriet Tubman was a slave who succeeded in escaping north through Delaware to Philadelphia via the Underground Railroad in 1849. She found work there, and a year later, returned to help her relatives escape. Often assuming a disguise, Tubman personally led more than 300 slaves to safety between 1850 and 1860. Harriet was nicknamed "Moses" because she was so successful in leading people out of slavery to freedom. She also helped John Brown, the antislavery crusader, plan his ill-fated raid at Harper's Ferry. Later, during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman also served as a Union nurse and spy.
Illustration by Richard Schlecht, Artist. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
