American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography, including The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography

Partially-printed certificate issued to "Thomas Arnold of the State of Rhode Island" for membership in the "Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, the Relief of Free Negroes unlawfully held in Bondage, and for Improving the Condition of the African Race." Counter-signed by Secretaries John McCree and Joseph Parker Norris. Seal intact in upper left. 1p, approx. 10 x 14 in. (creasing from old folds; light soil; reinforced along center fold on verso, toning).

A scarce membership certificate for the first abolition society in America founded in 1775 by Philadelphia Quaker Anthony Benezet as the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. Following the American Revolution, in 1784, it was reorganized as the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, with Benjamin Franklin as its president. Membership steadily grew during the 1790s and into the 19th century, where the organization sought social, educational, and employment opportunities for Blacks, while also providing legal aid to enslaved and Free Blacks. Upon Franklin's death, James Pemberton, a successful Philadelphia merchant and civic leader, became President.

The recipient of this certificate is likely Thomas Arnold (1751-1826), a Rhode Island abolitionist who was a founding member of the Providence Society for Abolishing the Slave Trade (later The Providence Abolition Society). Arnold was a lawyer, an early graduate of Brown University, and a member of the Society of Friends. As a member of the Providence Abolition Society he worked to enforce abolition of slavery through legal intervention.