Knowledge Tree
Providence Abolition Society
Also known as: Providence Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery
Facts (11)
Sources
Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Brown University slaveryandjusticereport.brown.edu 11 facts
accountJohn Brown was acquitted in his federal trial for illegal slave trading, and the court issued a judgment for costs against the Providence Abolition Society.
claimNicholas Brown Jr., the namesake of Brown University, served as a vice president of the Providence Anti-Abolition Society, despite having been a member of the Providence Abolition Society forty years prior.
claimJohn Brown argued in 1789 that the Providence Abolition Society's support for cotton manufacturing was contradictory because the cotton used in these mills was produced by enslaved labor.
claimJohn Brown became the first Rhode Islander and the first American prosecuted in federal court for illegal slave trading, following a prosecution brought by the Providence Abolition Society.
accountIn 1796, the Providence Abolition Society prosecuted Cyprian Sterry, a member of the College of Rhode Island's Board of Trustees and a prominent slave trader, for violating the 1794 federal law prohibiting the transport of enslaved people to foreign ports.
claimThe Providence Abolition Society was founded by members of the College of Rhode Island's governing Corporation, including David Howell, who served as the society's president, and Thomas Arnold, who served as the society's secretary.
accountIn 1789, the Providence Abolition Society launched its first prosecution, which involved members of the College of Rhode Island's Corporation: David Howell acted as the prosecutor, while William Bradford, a former deputy governor and future U.S. Senator, served as the defense attorney.
measurementCyprian Sterry, a slave trader and member of the College of Rhode Island's Board of Trustees, sponsored approximately twenty African voyages in the two years preceding his 1796 prosecution by the Providence Abolition Society.
claimNicholas Brown Jr., the namesake of Brown University, served as a vice president of the Providence Anti-Abolition Society, despite having been a member of the Providence Abolition Society forty years prior.
accountCyprian Sterry settled his 1796 prosecution by the Providence Abolition Society out of court, agreeing to leave the slave trade in exchange for the society withdrawing the legal action.
claimMoses Brown founded the Providence Abolition Society in 1789.