# Statistics of the Colored People of Philadelphia

STATISTICS
OF THE
COLORED PEOPLE
OF
PHILADELPHIA.
TAKEN BY
BENJAMIN C. BACON,
AND PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF "THE PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY," ETC.
PHILADELPHIA: T . ELLWOOD CHAPMAN, NO. 1 SOUTH FIFTH STREET. 1856.
Merrihew and Thompson, Printers.
STATISTICS
of the
COLORED PEOPLE
of
PHILADELPHIA.
taken by
BENJAMIN C. BACON,
and published by order of the
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF "THE PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY," ETC.
PHILADELPHIA: T. ELLWOOD CHAPMAN, NO. 1 SOUTH FIFTH STREET.
1856.
​At a Stated Meeting of the Board of Education of the "Pennsylvania Society for promoting the Abolition of Slavery, &c.," held 12th mo. 8th, 1853, the Committee appointed to report a plan of collecting Statistics, &c., produced the following, which was accepted.
To the Board of Education.
The Committee appointed to consider of, and report to the Board the best method of ascertaining the present state of education among the colored population of our city and disiricts, in order that those who succeed us in this concern may at future periods, have some data from which they can form an estimate of the progress made by this class of our citizens in school learning, &c.
Recommend, That with the concurrence of the Society, our Visiting Agent be instructed to collect and arrange in tabular form the following and such other items of information as may be thought necessary to represent the present state of education among them, in addition to the duties heretofore assigned him, viz:—
The number over twenty years of age who can read and write and who understand the simple rules of arithmetic.
The number over twenty years of age who can read and write legibly,
The number overdo. twenty years of agedo. who can read only,
The number overdo. twenty years of agedo. Slave born,
The number overdo. twenty years of agedo. born free in Slave States,
The number overdo. twenty years of agedo. who cannot read or write,
The number overdo. of Libraries, date of organization, number of volumes, &c.,
The number overdo. of Literary Societies, date of organization, &c.,
The number overdo. of children attending schools, and whether Public or Private Schools.
The number overdo. of children over eight years old, not attending School.
Your Committee further recommend that the Agent be directed to ascertain the number employed as teachers, the number of artizans, the number who have learned trades, the number who work at their trades, and the number employed in the higher departments of labor, such as clerkships, &c. &c., so that our successors may also be enabled to note their progress in these respects.
| POWELL STACKHOUSE, BENJAMIN COATES, BENJAMIN C. BACON, SIMEON COLLINS, | Committee. |
Philadelphia, 12th mo. 8th, 1853.
In accordance with the recommendation of the Report, Benjamin C. Bacon was appointed, in Fourth Month, 1854, to perform the service therein named; and at the stated meeting of the Board in First Month, 1856, Dillwyn Parrish, Joshua T. Jeanes, and Benjamin Coates were appointed to assist the agent in its revision and publication.
DILLWYN PARRISH, Chairman of the Board of Education.
T. Ellwood Chapman, Secretary.
PREFATORY NOTE.
Those friends of the Colored people of this city, who have visited their Week-day and First-day Schools for a number of past years, notice with pleasure their greatly improved condition. Those who have, for a like period, mingled with adults in their Evening Schools, Libraries, Literary Associations and Churches, are much gratified to see how steadily they advance in knowledge and refinement.
The want of well authenticated facts relative to the number, character and condition of their various schools, and the state of education among adults, as they were thirty or forty years ago, has long been seriously felt. By comparing the present with past periods of their history, such information would enable all concerned in vindicating the character and rights of this oppressed people more effectually to repel the slanders of their enemies, and to correct the erroneous impressions of some of their friends, respecting their readiness and capacity to acquire learning.
The facts having been collected by a personal canvass of a member of the Society, in whose ability and integrity they have full confidence, are believed to be correct.
Philadelphia, First month, (January,) 1856.
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