The Vigilant Association of Philadelphia was an abolitionist organization founded in August 1837 in Philadelphia to "create a fund to aid colored persons in distress".[1] The initial impetus came from Robert Purvis,[2] who had served on a previous Committee of Twelve[clarification needed] in 1834, and his father-in-law, businessman James Forten.[3][4]
Up and running by 1838, the committee had begun to break down in 1852. William Still was an important conductor along the railroad and a founder of the vigilance committee in Philadelphia.[5]
- ^ Foner, Eric (2 February 2016). Gateway to freedom : the hidden history of the underground railroad. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-0-393-35219-1. OCLC 1086231994.
- ^ Boromé, Joseph A.; White, Jacob C.; Ayres, Robert B.; McKim, J. M. (1968). "The Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 92 (3): 320–351. ISSN 0031-4587. JSTOR 20090197.
- ^ Boromé 1968.
- ^ Tomek 2015.
- ^ Gara, Larry (1961). "William Still and the Underground Railroad". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 28 (1): 33–44. ISSN 0031-4528. JSTOR 27770004.