The Constitution of the Connecticut Society for the Promotion of Freedom, and the Relief of Persons unlawfully holden in Bondage, as revised and enlarged on the 13th Day of September 1792.

IMPRESSED with a sense of the inestimable worth and value of the excellent constitution, laws, and government of this State, and of the United States of America; and desirous that every description of men, who have obtained a confidence among us, of whatever climate or colour, should quietly enjoy that freedom and happiness which the beneficent Father of the human race hath kindly allotted to us: We the subscribers have associated, and do hereby associate, under the name and title of The Connecticut Society for the promotion of freedom, and the relief of persons unlawfully holden in bondage; and for effecting the purposes of our association, we have adopted the following constitution.

Article 1. The Society shall meet at New-Haven on the day succeeding the Commencement in Yale-College, and at Hartford on the day of the anniversary Election, and shall have power to adjourn from time to time, and place to place. At said meeting in New-Haven shall be chosen a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer; and at said meeting in Hartford shall also be chosen a Vice-President, Secretary and Affiliate Treasurer; and the persons so chosen shall continue in office for the term of one year.

2d. The President, or in his absence the senior Vice-President, shall preside in the meetings, and subscribe the acts of the Society. The President, or in his absence the Vice-Presidents, may call a special meeting of the Society; and the President, or in his absence the Vice-Presidents, shall call a special meeting of the Society whenever requested by the Committee of Correspondence.

3d. The Secretaries shall record the proceedings of the Society, and have the custody of such books and papers as appertain to the same.

4th. The Treasurer and Affiliate Treasurer shall keep the monies belonging to the Society, and shall pay all orders signed by a majority of the Committee of Correspondence, and shall annually account with said Committee for such monies as they respectively receive in behalf of the Society.

5th. The Committee of Correspondence shall confest of the Vice-Presidents and four Members of the Society chosen at said meeting in New-Haven, and four other Members chosen at said meeting in Hartford. The Members of said Committee shall continue in office for the term of one year from their respective appointments: and it shall be their duty, in behalf of the Society, to receive complaints from all persons, who are the objects of this Society, to correspond with such individuals and societies as are friendly to the purposes of this Institution, to transact such business as shall occur in the recefs of the Society, and report their proceedings in writing, with the expenditures of the Society, to each of the aforeaid meetings.

6th. This Society may establish Societies or Committees in the respective counties in this State, with such powers, and under such rules and regulations as shall to the Society appear most conducive to the purposes of this Institution.

7th. In case any vacancy shall happen in the recefs of this Society, in any of the offices established by this Constitution, such vacancy may be supplied by the President, Committee of Correspondence and Secretaries, until the next meeting of the Society, and the Society at such meeting shall supply such vacancy.

8th. The Members of this Society shall individually and collectively cooperate with such Societies as have been or hereafter may be formed in the United States of America, or other parts of the world, for the extension of freedom, or the abolition of slavery: they shall endeavor to enforce an obedience to the laws which are or shall be enacted in this State for the progressive extension of freedom; and shall, to the utmost of their power, afford relief to persons unlawfully holden in bondages—they shall also endeavor to promote the education, enlighten the minds, and correct the morals of Negroes, to render them industrious, and furnish them with the means of honest employment.

9th. No person, resident in this State, shall hereafter be admitted into this Society, until he hath been duly elected in a meeting of the Society, on the recommendation of a member, and either by himself or by some person by him authorized, subscribed this Constitution, but all persons who are this day members of the Society established in this State on the ninth day of September, A. D. 1790, under the name and title of "The Connecticut Society for the promotion of freedom, and for the relief of persons unlawfully holden in bondages," shall be considered as Members of this Society for the term of one year from the date hereof, and shall afterwards continue to be Members thereof on subscribing this Constitution as aforeaid without any further act or admission.

10th.

At a Meeting of the Connecticut Society for the Promotion of Freedom, and for the Relief of Persons unlawfully holden in Bondage, at New-Haven on the 13th Day of September, A. D. 1792, the foregoing Constitution was approved for the future Regulation of said Society—and the following Officers were chosen, viz.

DAVID AUSTIN, Eq. President.
The Rev. Doct. EDWARDS, Vice-President.
TIMOTHY JONES, Eq. Treasurer.
SIMEON BALDWIN, Eq. Secretary.
Rev. D. E. EDWARDS,
Rev. BENJAMIN TRUMBULL,
ELIZUR GOODRICH, Eq.
WILLIAM LYON, Eq.
DAVID DAGGETT, Eq.
Committee
of
Correspondence.

And in pursuance of the 7th Article of the Constitution of this Society, the following Officers were chosen, viz.

JOHN TRUMBULL, Eq. Vice-President.

JOHN TRUMBULL, Eq.
CHAUNCEY GOODRICH, Eq.
NOAH WEBSTER, jun. Eq.
Doct. LEMUEL HOPKINS,
THEODORE DWIGHT, Eq.
NOAH WEBSTER, jun. Eq. Secretary.
THOMAS Y. SEYMOUR, Eq. Affiliate Treasurer.

After which the Society passed the following Votes, viz.

VOTED, That in future at the stated Meetings of this Society in New-Haven, on the day succeeding the Commencement in Yale-College, a Committee of three Members shall be appointed in each of the Counties of Fairfield, Litchfield and Middlefex; and at the meeting in Hartford on the day of the anniversary Election, a Committee of three Members shall be appointed in each of the Counties of New-London, Windham and Tolland, and said Committees shall continue in office for the term of one year from their respective appointments. And it shall be the duty of said Committees respectively, to affix the Committee of Correspondence in carrying into effect the objects of this Society, and to receive and attend to the complaints of all Blacks, and the intelligence and information of all Members of this Society within their Counties respectively—to examine and enquire into, and by and with the advice of the Committee of Correspondence, to prosecute at the expence of the Society, all such violations of the laws of this State in their respective limits, as are the objects of this Society.—They shall also correspond with the Committee of Correspondence and the several County Committees; and inform them of all breaches of law relative to Negroes and Slaves which come to their knowledge, and shall make report of their proceedings to the Committee of Correspondence at least once in three months: and all expence incurred by said Committees respectively, with the advice, or which shall meet the approbation of the Committee of Correspondence, shall be defrayed from the Treasury of said Society, and the Committee of Correspondence shall draw orders therefor.

Voted, That the Rev. Andrew Elliott, Andrew Rowland, Eq. and Rev. Hezekiah Ripley, shall be a Committee for the County of Fairfield; and Tapping Reeve, James Morris, & John Allen, Eq.'s, for the County of Litchfield; and After Miller, Samuel

W. Dana, and Stephen T. Hofner, Eq.'s; for the County of Middlefex, for the term of one year for the purpofes aforefaid; and Elifha Hyde, Johua Coit, Eq.'s, and Mr. Aaron Cleveland, shall be a Committee for the County of New-London; and Zephaniah Swift, Moses Cleveland, and Hezekiah Ripley, Eq.'s, for the County of Windham; and Jeremiah West, Eq. Rev. Nathan Williams, and Solomon Wills, Eq. for the County of Tolland, for the purpofes and with the powers aforefaid, until the meeting of this Society at Hartford in May next.

Voted, That it shall be the duty of each Member of this Society, to communicate in writing, to a Member of the Committee of Correspondence, or to a Member of the Committee of the County of which he is an inhabitant, all knowledge which he may have of any breach of the laws of this State, relative to Negroes or Slaves, and all complaints of Negroes, and every other information or intelligence which shall in his opinion be important to promote the objects of this Institution.

Voted, That the Committee of Correspondence shall procure 300 copies of the Constitution of this Society as this day eftablifhed, to be printed, and the several County Committees shall be Committees in their respective Counties, to prevent such Conftitution to such persons as are members of this Society and refide in their respective Counties for their subscription or rejection; as also to receive of such persons and pay over to the Treasurer or Affiliate Treasurer, the funds which will be due from such persons as subscribe said Constitution, and the said Committees shall report to this Society in writing at their meeting in May next, the names of such persons as subscribe or reject said Conftitution.

Voted, That no Member of this Society shall recommend any person to become a Member thereof, without a previous knowledge that such person is friendly thereto; and all such recommendations shall be in writing, in cafe the Member recommending is abfent, or in cafe the fame is requested by three Members.

Voted, That no person shall on the admission of a Member into this Society, subscribe the Constitution of this Society in behalf of such Member without an authority therefor in writing, to be lodged with one of the Secretaries; and the Secretaries on the admission of a Member, shall record on whose recommendation such Member was admitted.

DAVID AUSTIN, President.
Attest, SIMEON BALDWIN, Sec'y.