Recognizing the 150th Anniversary of the National Convention of Colored Citizens of the Unitd States in Syracuse

Floor Speech

Mr. MAFFEI. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to commemorate Black History Month and recognize the 150th anniversary of the National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States in Syracuse, New York.

On September 9, 1864, the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator included a call for the convention. Frederick Douglass, a writer, statesman and leader of the Abolition Movement, annotated an ``Address to the People of the United States.'' In his address to the people, Frederick Douglass explains, ``No notice should be taken of the color of men; but justice, wisdom, and humanity should weigh alone, and be all-controlling.''

The National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States convened on October 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th of 1864 in Syracuse, New York.

In October of 1864, Frederick Douglass came to Syracuse to discuss the state of the ex-slave following the Civil War. Douglass served as convention president, which drew nearly 150 delegates from all across the nation. During the meeting, the delegates crafted a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence, entitled ``Declarations of Rights and Wrongs'', which was read during the Convention in Syracuse.

Central New York has a rich connection in history to the Abolition Movement. From Harriet Tubman and her tireless devotion to the cause, to Frederick Douglass with his Address to the People of the United States and ``Declaration of Rights and Wrongs,'' Central New York and the City of Syracuse have continued to lead the charge for equality.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the 150th anniversary of the National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States in Syracuse, New York. Let us never grow old or weary of the struggle that our predecessors led, and let us work every day to uphold the values that Frederick Douglass and so many others demanded us to do at the National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States.

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