John C. Bowers (1811-1873), a Philadelphia native, was a tailor and entrepreneur who believed that education and skillful trade were keys to Black success in America.1 He owned a successful second-hand clothing store in Philadelphia and was the founder of The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, or the G.U.O. of O.F., which formed guilds around a variety of trades.2 Bowers was married to Mary C. Collins in 1835. It is unknown if they had children. Both were members of the St. Thomas African Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.3
Bowers did not have a large speaking role in the 1855 Convention. He was, however, a permanent officer of the convention. His major contribution and platform for the convention was in education for trades and Black self-reliance. He was a tailor by trade in Philadelphia;4 however, he turned his apprenticeship into a profitable business. Bowers had achieved the vision laid out by the commentary in the convention minutes: He took the education of his trade and applied it to accumulate wealth. Bowers took his entrepreneurial spirit a step further by founding The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, of which he was “Grand Master” from 1870-1871. Through this organization Blacks could practice trade, communicate, and form networking connections. These were all views Bowers held that would elevate the position of Blacks in America. Because of this dedication to racial uplift on home soil, it is not surprising that Bowers, like many of his fellow delegates, was staunchly against emigration. He voted against the admittance of Mary Ann Shadd Cary who famously spoke and wrote in favor of emigrating to Canada.
Bowers' stance on emigration never changed. He later began attending anti-colonization meetings around the East Coast and wrote speeches denouncing emigration and the movement of Blacks to places such as Africa. He believed that all African Americans should stay in the United States, and he firmly held that the Union would one day abolish slavery. Bowers was known as a man who dedicated his life to a brighter future for the next generation of African Americans. He had high hopes for Black society and expressed it through his commitment and innovation that left a lasting mark in African American history.
January 1855—Nell, along with William Garrison, William Wells brown, Henry Wright and Sallie Holly, attended an Anti-Slavery meeting at the Belknap Street Church in Boston, MA, and speaks about petitions “present to the Legislature, asking for equal school rights for colored children.” Liberator 26 January 25(4):15,1
April 28, 1855—Nell’s petitions were successful and the Massachusetts legislature abolishes separate Negro schools. Robert P. Smith. “William Cooper Nell: Crusading Black Abolitionist.” The Journal of Negro History 55.3 (1970): 182–199
July 27, 1855—Nell attended Colored National Council meeting along with Amos Beman, Frederick Douglass, J. Mccune Smith, and others, but “was predisposed against any participation, because of valid objections, constitutional and otherwise.” Liberator, July 1855 25(30):120
October 1855—Nell published a book, The Colored Patriots of the America Revolution; With Sketches of Several Distinguished Colored Persons; To Which Is Added A Brief Survey of the Condition and Prospects of Colored Americans with an introduction by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published by R.F. Wallcut. 396 pages. Price $1. Liberator, 26 October 1855, 25(43):171, 1
December 17 1855—Nell is honored in a meeting of the colored citizens of Boston : “A Tribute to William C. Nell, from the coloured citizens of Boston, for his untiting efforts in Equal School rights” – Triumph of Equal School Rights in Boston. Proceedings of the Presentation Meeting held in Boston, Dec. 17, 1855; Including Addresses by John T. Hilton, Wm C. Nell, Charles Slack, Wendell Phillips, Wm. Lloyd Garrison, Charles Lenox Remond. Published by F.R. Wallcut, 21 Cornhill, 1856, p. 4-11
One of the illustrations in Nell's book, The Colored Patriots of the America Revolution; With Sketches of Several Distinguished Colored Persons
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. "Crispus Attucks, the first martyr of the American Revolution, King (now State) Street, Boston, March 5th, 1770." New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Researched by Eric Brown, English 641, Spring 2016. Taught by Professor P. Gabrielle Foreman, University of Delaware.
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