Du Bois gathered a group of men representing every region of the country except the West. They hoped to meet in Buffalo, New York. When refused accommodation, the members migrated across the border to Canada. Twenty nine men met at the Erie Beach Hotel in Ontario from July 11-14, 1905. The Niagarites adopted a constitution and by-laws, established committees and wrote a 'Declaration of Principles,' outlining the future for African Americans. After three days, they returned across the border with a renewed sense of resolve in the struggle for freedom and equality. Thirteen months later, from August 15-19, 1906, the Niagara Movement held its first public meeting in the United States on the campus of Storer College in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Harpers Ferry was symbolic for a number of reasons. First and foremost was the connection to John Brown. It was at Harpers Ferry in 1859 that Brown's raid against slavery struck a blow for freedom. Many felt it was John Brown who fired the first shot of the Civil War. By the latter part of the 19th century, John Brown's Fort had become a shrine and a symbol of freedom to African Americans, Union soldiers and the nation's abolitionists. Harpers Ferry was also the home of Storer College. Freewill Baptists opened Storer in 1867 as a mission school to educate former slaves. For 25 years Storer was the only school in West Virginia that offered African Americans an education beyond the primary level.
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