January 9, 1857
Four hundred members of the Society assemble for a feast at Faneuil Hall. Letters of greeting, from people who could not be present are read, including from Theodore Parker, Samuel J. May, Theodore Weld, Arnold Buffum, Abby Foster, William Wells Brown, and John T. Hilton. In his speech, Garrison recounts the beginning of the Society. He tells of the two meetings which were held in Samuel Sewall’s law office, Dec 16, 1831, and Jan 2, 1832, and names those who were present. Then came the third meeting, held at the African Baptist Church, in Belknap Street. ” It was purposely held in that little room, in that obscure part of the city, with reference to the historical significance of the event”. The Preamble and Constitution are here, and the names of those who signed the Constitution are included.
The article recounts that the first public meeting of the Society was on January 29th, at the Essex Street Church, where a “very able address was delivered by Rev. Moses Thacher, of which one thousand copies were printed and widely circulated. Other speakers include Wendell Phillips, Oliver Johnson, and the Hutchinson family sang ” Get Off the Track”.
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