The Michigan Anti-Slavery Society, also called Michigan State Anti-Slavery Society was founded on November 10, 1836, in Ann Arbor of the Michigan Territory (1805–1837). The first meeting was held at the First Presbyterian Church on East Huron Street. The founding of the anti-slavery society was part of a movement to abolish slavery in several states during the 1830s, as well as support within the territory for the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. It was formed by 75 abolitionists from six counties. The organization was supported by

Wesleyan Methodists The Wesleyan Church is a Methodist Christian denomination aligned with the holiness movement. Wesleyan Church may also refer to: * Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, the Australian branch of the Wesleyan Church Denominations * Allegheny We ...

and

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

. There were anti-slavery and pro-slavery viewpoints in Michigan. Guy Beckley and Theodore Foster, publishers of the '' Signal of Liberty'', wrote: "Our neighbors accuse us of being 'worse than horse thieves,' because we have given to the colored man a helping hand in his perilous journey... We are also held up as transgressors of the law and having no regard for the civil authority." (The

Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was an Act of the United States Congress to give effect to the Fugitive Slave Clause of the US Constitution ( Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3), which was later superseded by the Thirteenth Amendment, and to also gi ...

made it illegal to aid escapees.) Society meetings were held at the First Presbyterian Church for ten years, although the Presbyterian Church of the United States did not want to take a political stance against slavery. Some of the members of the First Presbyterian Church broke away from the church and founded the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor in 1847. One of the adopted resolutions was to establish an anti-slavery newspaper in Michigan, which began with ''American Freeman'', then the ''Michigan Freeman'', which were replaced by the weekly '' Signal of Liberty'' in 1841. The society's executive committee contributed to the newspaper. A historic marker is located on the site of the First Presbyterian Church in recognition in its role in founding the anti-slavery society and the newspapers. The society was reorganized at

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the mai ...

by Stephen Symonds Foster and

Abby Kelley Foster Abby Kelley Foster (January 15, 1811 – January 14, 1887) was an American abolitionist and radical social reformer active from the 1830s to 1870s. She became a fundraiser, lecturer and committee organizer for the influential American Anti-Sl ...

, Sojourner Truth, Jonathan Walker, Marius Robinson, and Sallie Holley.

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References

{{Slave narrative American abolitionist organizations Organizations established in 1836 19th century in Michigan African-American history of Michigan 1836 establishments in Michigan Territory Culture of Ann Arbor, Michigan