Black Philadelphians Mass-Reject Colonization

In January 1817, over 3,000 Black Philadelphians gather at Bethel AME Church under James Forten and Richard Allen and unanimously reject the American Colonization Society. They argue: "We have no wish to separate from our present homes for any purpose whatever." They insist they are American by birth, labor, and right — the most significant early mass Black political action.