The Early Negro Convention Movement / The American Negro Academy, Occasional Papers No. 9

The pamphlet traces the rise of organized community activism among free Black Americans after the War of 1812, linking national legal and social pressures—such as colonization efforts, the Missouri Compromise, and violent backlash—to the formation of deliberative conventions. It recounts early meetings in 1817 and the decisive 1830 assembly called by Hezekiah Grice, lists leading delegates, and summarizes debates over emigration to Canada, opposition to the American Colonization Society, plans for educational institutions, and responses to episodes of racial violence and exclusion. The narrative highlights how these conventions coordinated local societies and articulated political and social strategies for survival and advancement.