Philadelphia

Image 1: Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia depicts Brown emerging from the box he rode in for 27 hours between Richmond, VA and Philadelphia, PA in 1849.

For many slaves such as Equiano, Philadelphia was seen as a utopia from the harsh conditions they faced. Philadelphia was home to the Quakers, a religious denomination that, after some time, were one of the early adopters of the abolitionist movement. Equiano notices this cultures treatment of slavery and describes “the benevolence of the Quakers” which allows slaves to "breathe the air of liberty” many had longed for (Equiano 86). Although Equiano’s first introduction to Philadelphia is one of progressivism, Philadelphia wasn’t always in support of the abolitionist movement. Like many of the early colonies in early America, the Quakers in Philadelphia had to rely on slavery to get their bearings in their new land. Their reliance on slavery was quite unsettling: a stark contrast to Equiano’s now ideal picture. It was for, “the first two decades of the eighteenth century, when Quakers were the colony’s largest slave owners and most active in the slave trade, witnessed the coalescence of a declining economic interest in the inter-colonial slave trade and the emergence of an embryotic conversation about the morality of slavery” (Daniels). The Quakers' heavy reliance of the Slaves “was integral to the day-to-day function of Philadelphia’s households, marketplaces, the development of the surrounding hinterland, and the maintenance of the colony’s agricultural and manufacturing operations” (Daniels). The Quakers at first had to bite the bullet and accept the cost of slavery to first start up their nation.


After some time, once the nation had become well established, the Quakers in Philadelphia had decided it was time to stop relying on slaves and take in support for the abolitionist movement. This movement started with a few early Quaker protestors condemning the exchange of slavery and poor conditional of Africans for means of business (Daniels). This led to many discussions within the Quaker culture about what to do with the malpractice of slavery. Thus, “antislavery arguments were thus increasingly articulated in both meeting houses and Quaker homes” (Brycchan 178). These discussions finally led to a compromise within the Quaker culture, Quakers had “to promise that they will not buy imported slaves, although if they do there is no real sanction other than peer pressure” (Brycchan 178). This led to the the decline of slavery within Philadelphia that Equiano noticed and was encouraged by.


With the start of the abolitionist movement in Philadelphia, the treatment of slaves continued to become more humane. The Quakers had decided to, “instruct enslaved individuals to read in order to educate them in Quaker principle” (Daniels). The Quakers were taking early steps for better rights of slaves which other nations would shortly follow.


This movement thought wasn’t appreciated by many however, as Philadelphia now became the nation that many slaves wanted to escape to as means of freedom. This led to further containment of slaves within America, as seen with Equiano’s master being scared that he might, “ run away from him when [he] got to Philadelphia” (Equiano 97). Equiano was alive to view this progressive shift in the Quaker culture. He was proud of the nation and supported its movement. Although Equiano wouldn’t reside in Philadelphia for long, he bore witness to the better treatment of slaves there.