[aeengine-devel] Accou

[Swierk E. <cyc...@di...>]

S arrested a number of Negroes but ran the risk of having the jail
broken open by their sympathizing fellowmen. After a reign of terror for
half a week, order was restored and twenty of the accused were convicted
of arson. In 1820 there occurred so many conflagrations that a vigilance
committee was organized.[16] Whether or not the Negroes were guilty of
the crime is not known but numbers of them left either on account of the
fear of punishment or because of the indignities to which they were
subjected. Numerous petitions, therefore, came before the legislature to
stop the immigration of Negroes. It was proposed in 1840 to tax all free
Negroes to assist them in getting out of the State for colonization.[17]
The citizens of Lehigh County asked the authorities in 1830 to expel all
Negroes and persons of color found in the State.[18] Another petition
prayed that they be deprived of the freedom of movement. Bills embodying
these ideas were frequently considered but they were never passed.
Stronger opposition than this, however, was manifested in the form of
actual outbreaks