1838 Black Metropolis is happy to welcome guest writer Michael Clemmons, Secretary of the Black Docents Collective and member of Mother Bethel Historical Society.
Many of you have heard of the incomparable Mary Ann Shadd Cary, but few of us know that this Black woman turned Black male Philadelphia upside down in 1855 - supported and carried by a committee of powerful Black women who rallied to her side in support.
This is the story of how she flew through Philadelphia like a force of nature in the fall of 1855.
First Black Woman to Start a Newspaper in North America
As the first Black woman to start a newspaper in North America, Mary Ann Shadd Cary had been busy.
She wore three hats—Editor, Publishing Agent, and Financier for her paper. This meant that she was doing most of the writing, editing, selling, and financing of the paper.
While she excelled and loved the work, it could also be difficult. At times, she described the work as “drudgery” that she was “obliged to perform” with little rest.
And then there were the grueling “long journeys on railroads and steamboats” in tough weather conditions, often “without a dollar,” where she faced freezing wagons, carriages and ship berths and racist conductors.
“Notwithstanding,” she wrote, “The Freeman lived.” (CW)
Born and raised in the Philadelphia region, she spent her childhood watching her parents help run the Underground Railroad in Delaware and Westchester, PA. By the time she launched her paper, she had become a strong advocate for views that weren’t necessarily popular.
First, she believed Canada held more promise for Black Americans than the U.S.
Second, she was vocal about the need for Black American anti-slavery leadership to be far more forceful in its approach to ending enslavement.
In 1849, at just 26 years old, she boldly responded to a call by Frederick Douglass for solutions to enslavement, famously writing: “We have been holding conventions for years… and whining over our difficulties and afflictions. We should do more and talk less” (Shadd).
A few years later, she expanded on this argument into a 50-page treatise called A Plea for Emigration about the benefits of Canada. She recommended to potential Black immigrants where and how to make their homes in their new country.
Shadd Cary’s moniker “Self-Reliance is the True Road to Independence” that she later printed at the top of the masthead of The Provincial Freeman illustrates how consistently she advocated for Black autonomy, both for individual citizens and for the community as a whole.
Rocking the 1855 Colored Convention
Although she was living in Canada, the 1855 Colored Convention in Philadelphia wasn’t something she was going to miss.
Held on October 16, 1855, at Franklin Hall, the convention had only two other women in attendance—Rachel Cliff and Elizabeth Armstrong. Shadd Cary was also the only delegate from Canada.
On the first day, she asked to be allowed to speak, which led to a "spirited discussion”, 19th century code words for an argument. Frederick Douglass pushed to continue the conversation later.
That evening, at the Philadelphia Institute at 7th and Lombard, Douglass and Charles L. Reason, Principal at the Institute for Colored Youth, led the coalition supporting her admission, while Isaiah C. Wears and Peter A. Bell led the coalition against. But the yeas had it—38 to 23—and she was allowed to speak (Colored Conventions).
In the 10 minutes allotted to her, she was so compelling that they let her go over time—by another 10 minutes, and then well past closing time.
Shadd “rocked the convention hall,” writes Jane Rhodes. “The house was crowded and breathless in its attention to her masterly exposition,” leaving the crowd “dazzled and awestruck” (Rhodes, 110).
Decisively Winning a Public Debate Generated from Her Ideas
People were intrigued by the ideas she put forth.
So, they invited her back to Philadelphia for a formal debate on November 5, 1855 with Isaiah C. Wears—one of the men who had voted against her admission to the convention.
Wears was a selfless leader of the Underground Railroad movement, dedicating much of his time and energy to supporting freedom seekers and building political power in Philadelphia.
Both were great speakers and youthful leaders, making the debate a highly anticipated event.
Shadd Cary opened the debate, laying out 12 strong reasons for Black people to move to Canada. These included “the impartiality of the laws—the fine agricultural advantages—cheapness of the soil—health of the climate—character of the inhabitants” and “the condition of colored man, especially."
Wears offered a strong rebuttal, arguing that mass emigration to Canada would have disastrous consequences. “The slave in his chains would be forsaken, the fugitive would be left unprotected,” he warned. This, in the end, would give enemies more power over Black Americans in the U.S.
Shadd Cary's response was definitive. Black people should not waste anymore time in the US.
Instead of the enslaved being forsaken, she argued, Black people would be rapidly elevated in Canada because they would not face ongoing oppression. In the U.S., they would continue to be underpaid, forced into menial jobs, and taxed to support a government that withheld their right to vote.
In Canada, with easier economic pathways to stability, they could fight slavery with renewed strength.
She struck a chord with a Black Philadelphia audience struggling with trolley car discrimination. Bishop Payne of Mother Bethel, she noted, could not ride the trolley in Philadelphia, while Black waiters in Canada were “daily accommodated" on trolly cars, "without distinction.”
“Instead of having to wait five hundred years for his rights in America,” she concluded, “the young colored man could enjoy them immediately. He could be a respectable and successful farmer, mechanic, or professional man in Canada” (CW).
After deliberation, three male judges declared Shadd the definitive winner of the debate.
Black Women Leaders Rally to Support Her
Knowing that Shadd Cary needed support, Black women leaders in Philadelphia had already met at Shiloh Baptist Church (now Waters AME on South Street) to organize a fundraising event for her to be held on November 9, 1855.
This impressive group included Underground Railroad leaders and businesswomen Letitia Still and Henriette Duterte.
Since the planning meeting was held at Shiloh, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield’s church, and Greenfield volunteered her services at no cost, it’s likely she was involved in this planning group, though her name is not listed in the newspaper.
A few days before the event, Passmore Williamson, a member of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, was released from jail after serving six months in Holmesburg Prison for helping Jane Johnson escape slavery. Excitement was high to have Williamson as a headliner, but at the last minute, he canceled.
The women, however, were prepared. They had Frederick Douglass as a headliner. And they had ice cream.
Most importantly, they had the volunteered services of the world-famous Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield.
The house was packed to overflowing.
Greenfield was only scheduled to sing two songs, but she gave a full concert instead, highlighting two women pianists and a male singer as accompaniment. Many speakers, including Frederick Douglass, addressed the crowd before Shadd took the stage.
In the end, “The committee, in tendering to Miss S. the proceeds of the meeting, felt assured that she was justly entitled not only to their pecuniary aid but also to their fullest confidence and esteem” (Still).
Conclusion
Mary Ann Shadd Cary is revered in Canada. There are statues and murals in her honor. There's more to her than we could possibly explain here so we hope that you continue to find out more about her.
Here's one thing we are proud to share - in the fall of 1855, Mary Ann Shadd Cary “had beaten a man at a man’s game and, in the process, enhanced her reputation as a powerful adversary in political matters.” (Rhodes, 111).
In just a few months, she had become famous—interrupting misogyny, winning over a predominantly male convention with a poignant and convincing argument, clinching a public debate, and walking away from Philadelphia with cash in hand for her continued work.
Among the many achievements of this incredible Black woman, we'd like to enter 🔥 killed it in Philadelphia🔥 into the permanent record.
Sources:
Colored Conventions Project. Proceedings of the Colored National Convention, held in Franklin Hall, Sixth Street, Below Arch, Philadelphia, October 16th, 17th and 18th, 1855. Omeka.Coloredconventions.org. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://omeka.coloredconventions.org/items/show/281
Rhodes, Jane, and Project Muse. Mary Ann Shadd Cary : The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century. New edition., Indiana University Press, 2023.
Shadd, M. A. (1849, March 23). Letter from Mary Ann Shadd. The North Star, 3.
Still, William. (1855, December 1). From our Philadelphia Correspondent. Provincial Freeman, 2. https://news.ourontario.ca/abolition/3942259/page/3?n=
W, C. (1855, December 22). Interesting Discussion on Emigration to Canada. Provincial Freeman, 3. https://news.ourontario.ca/abolition/3942261/page/3