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Feb. 27, 1788 Petition for Abolishment of Slavery by members of African Lodge

MasonicAdept

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Members of African Lodge, led by Prince Hall, petitioned the General Court to put an end to the slave trade in 17888. The petition was prompted by the abduction of three free black men in Boston Harbor, one of which was a member of African Lodge. As a result of this petition, along with one put forth by the Quakers and one by the Boston clergy, the General Court passed an act on 26 March 1788 "to prevent the Slave Trade, and for granting Relief to the Families of such unhappy Persons as may be Kidnapped or decoyed away from this Commonwealth" (Kaplan, 2010)
The document is dated Feb. 27, 1788, written by Prince Hall himself. Those notable members of African Lodge of the 22 listed were:

Prince Hall
Cyrus Forbes
Lancaster Hill
Thomas Sanderson
Cato Underwood
Jube Hill

Prince Hall could be considered the Father of the Civil Rights movement.

Source:
Massachusetts Historical Society Archive

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