Banneker Institute members meeting request, 1858


Permanent ID:
12818
Date:
March 15 1858
Image Description:
Correspondence to members of Philadelphia's Banneker Institute announcing a meeting to appoint delegate to the Literary Congress. Includes signatures: G.E. Stephens, Parker J. Smith, Jacob C. White. Several signature illegible. Memo addressed to president of the Banneker Institute George S. Bunnell.

"The Banneker Literary Institute, named after black mathematician Benjamin Banneker, was one of several literary and debating societies in nineteenth-century Philadelphia. Organized in 1854 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by a group of prominent men, the Banneker Institute promoted literary and other intellectual endeavors. Members were expected to deliver lectures and participate in debates on a variety of subjects, including politics, literature, philosophy, and astronomy.  In order to maintain exclusivity and solidarity, prospective members had to be nominated by a current member and demonstrate some intellectual aptitude. Such important persons as Jacob C. White, Jr., Robert M. Adger, and Octavius V. Catto were members of the Institute, which required an entrance fee of fifty cents and $2.00 in annual dues. The Banneker Institute was the forerunner of the Afro-American Historical Society, which was established in 1879. The records of the Banneker Institute were donated to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in the 1930s." [source]
Format:
Manuscripts
Dimensions:
Width: 20 cm, Height: 18 cm (image)
(image)
Collection:
The Leon and Beatrice M. Gardiner collection
Related Person or Organization:
Jacob C. White, Jr., 1837-1902 (author)