July 1853

The Colored National Convention met in Rochester, New York, with Frederick Douglass presiding. Delegates drafted 'An Address to the People of the United States' demanding the right to vote, jury service, equal access to public schools, and repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act. The convention also called for a Black manual labor school and a national council to coordinate Black political activity — a forerunner of later civil rights organizations.

The Colored National Convention met in Rochester, New York, with Frederick Douglass presiding. Delegates drafted 'An Address to the People of the United States' demanding voting rights, jury service, equal schools, and repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act. The convention called for a Black manual labor school and national council — a forerunner of later civil rights organizations.