Lockport, March 16th, 1852.
Friend Douglass:—
We, the colored people of Lockport, feeling a deep interest in the well being of the human family, and the cause of humanity in this country, place a few thoughts before you and your readers, for consideration. In looking around upon community, we see a general state of apathy on the subject of human freedom.
Considering the great efforts of the tyrants of our land, the friends of freedom should be awake, and alert at every point.—As light increases upon the subject, the monster writhes, and puts forth every effort to retain and continue his dominion. His smiles are insidious, his wiles to the unwary are fascinating, and if we quietly fold our arms, and let his iron heel come down upon us, we must suffer the consequences.
Let us bare our bosom to the storm, for a mighty struggle is coming on, and we must prepare for the contest; let us go forward with our trust and confidence in the Lord, asking Him earnestly for wisdom to guide and direct, in this contest between freedom and tyranny between the powers of darkness, and the light of eternal truth. Oh how lamentable it is to see the condition of things, as they are exhibited, from time to time; it is at times, almost disheartening, but our motto is onward, to victory or death.
The fugitive slave law is continually goading to madness and desperation, for the bloodhounds are baying on the track of every colored person in the Union. And then comes the delusive scheme of Colonization, which is singing its Siren songs, to lull to sleep every spark of manliness, and the ability to dwell among the civilized, which remains in our hearts. And must we endure all this? We answer no.

And in view of this aspect of things, the colored people met at Zion's Church on the 12th inst., at 7 o'clock, P.M. Mr. Boyd being called to the Chair, Mr. L. Morgan was appointed Secretary. Mrs. Morgan offered the following resolutions, which were adopted, after some brief remarks for Mr. Sanders, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Morgan, and Mr. Mills.
Resolved, That the colored citizens of Lockport, do agree to pray for Millard FillmoreFillmore, Millard

Millard Fillmore (1800-74), thirteenth president of the United States, represented the Buffalo region in the New York state legislature (1828-32) and in the U.S. House of Representatives (1833-35, 1837-43), where he generally voted with the Henry Clay wing of the Whig party. Defeated in the 1844 New York governor's race, Fillmore secured the Whig vice-presidential nomination in 1848 and assumed the presidency upon Zachary Taylor's death in July 1850. Fillmore vigorously advocated passage of the Compromise of 1850 and signed each of its measures into law. Denied his party's nomination in 1852, Fillmore ran for president on the American party ticket in 1856 and supported John Bell and the Constitutional Union party in 1860. NCAB, 6:177-78; DAB, 6:380-82. , that God would bring him to repentance, and forgive him of his great sin in signing the Fugitive Slave Bill.
Further resolved. That christians, and all who love God, are earnestly entreated to pray for Mr. Fillmore, and all those who are connected with him in schemes of tyranny, such men as Daniel WebsterWebster, Daniel

Daniel Webster (1782–1852) was a lawyer and statesman known for his stirring oratory. As a lawyer, he successfully argued many cases before the Supreme Court, such as the 1816 Dartmouth College case and the 1819 McCulloch v. Maryland case, earning a reputation as a strong nationalist. During the War of 1812 Webster represented New Hampshire in Congress (1812–46). Then, in 1827, he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, where he remained in service through most of his life. He continued to take strong nationalist positions in political debates, attacking Andrew Jackson’s 1832 veto of the Second Bank of the United States and opposing Nullification in 1832–33. Webster accepted appointment as secretary of state under William Henry Harrison and was the sole cabinet member from Harrison’s presidency to retain his office during John Tyler’s administration. In 1842 he negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty with Great Britain, establishing the modern boundary between the United States and Canada, but resigned his post a year later and returned to the Senate in 1845. In 1848 Webster made an unsuccessful bid for the Whig presidential nomination, losing to war hero Zachary Taylor. In 1850 Webster once again left the Senate to act as secretary of state under Millard Fillmore, a move that placed him in a good position to bid for the presidency; but he lost the 1852 Whig nomination to Winfield Scott. Though not an abolitionist, he opposed the extension of slavery in the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Mexican-American War, and the enforcement of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. Robert V. Remini, Daniel Webster: The Man and His Time (New York, 1997), 15–21; ANB, 22:865–68; DAB, 11:585–92. , and Henry ClayClay, Henry

Henry Clay (1777-1852), a native Virginian, entered politics during the 1790s in his adopted state of Kentucky and rose quickly to national prominence. As a congressman, senator, secretary of state, founder of the Whig party, and regular presidential candidate, Clay espoused broadly nationalistic programs designed to avoid sectional antagonism caused by the issue of slavery. He figured prominently in the debates that led to the passage of the Missouri Compromise, and he was a leading architect of the Compromise of 1850. His support of the American Colonization Society earned him the lasting hostility of Garrisonian abolitionists. In Congress, Clay vigorously opposed abolitionist petitions against slavery in the District of Columbia. Robert V. Remini, Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union (New York, 1991); Richard H. Sewell, Ballots for Freedom: Antislavery Politics in the United States, 1837-1860 (New York, 1976), 109; DAB, 4:73-79. , and others, who are so near a bar of divine justice.
Resolved, That we are obliged to Governor Hunt, for bringing before the Legislature of this State, the scheme of colonizing the free people of color: and when weare ready to colonize, we can colonize ourselves to the dominion of Queen Victoria.
We wish all Democratic papers to copy the Resolutions, for we wish to let them know how to receive such insults.
In behalf of the colored people of Lockport.

Wm SandersSanders, William

Willliam Sanders (c. 1816-?) and his son of the same name (c. 1835-?) both lived in Lockport, New York, in the 1850s. The elder Sanders, likely the author of this meeting, seems to have been born in the Upper South and was living in Lockport at least as late as 1880. He was one of the original trustees of the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church in Lockport in 1844. One of the Sanders died in March 1893 but which one and the fate of the other Sanders remains unknown. “Niagara Discoveries: Black Lockportians of the 19th Century,” Lockport (N.Y.) Union-Sun & Journal, 13 February 2021; “William Sanders,” Lockport (N.Y.) Daily Sun, 29 March 1893, p. 4, c. 4;.1850, 1860, & 1880 U. S. Census, Lockport, Niagara, New York; Sharon R. Amos and Sharon A. Savannah, eds., Open Doors: Western New York African American Houses of Worship (Buffalo, N.Y.: The Writer’s Den, 2011), 88. ,
W MillsMills, Woodford

Woodford Mills (c. 1795-1870) was born into slavery in Woodford County, Kentucky. He escaped to Canada as a young man, joining the British Navy as a Captain’s Servant. By 1840, he was living in Lockport with his Canadian born wife, Amelia Carr. In Lockport, he supported his family working as a laborer. Mills was an active member of the community, participating in social clubs and the local Zion AME Church, being one of the original trustees of the church in 1844. “Niagara Discoveries: Black Lockportians of the 19th Century,” Lockport (N.Y.) Union-Sun & Journal, 13 February 2021; 1855 New York Census, Lockport, Niagara; Sharon R. Amos and Sharon A. Savannah, eds., Open Doors: Western New York African American Houses of Worship (Buffalo, N.Y.: The Writer’s Den, 2011), 88. ,
Mr Johnson,
Mrs MorganMorgan, Lovina

Mrs. Morgan is likely Lovina Morgan (c. 1802-71), wife of James Morgan, one of the original trustees of the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church in Lockport in 1844. She was born in Pennsylvania but not much else is known about her. “Niagara Discoveries: Black Lockportians of the 19th Century,” Lockport (N.Y.) Union-Sun & Journal, 13 February 2021; Sharon R. Amos and Sharon A. Savannah, eds., Open Doors: Western New York African American Houses of Worship (Buffalo, N.Y.: The Writer’s Den, 2011), 8; 81850 & 1870 U. S. Census, Lockport, Niagara, New York; “Lovina Morgan,” Cold Springs Cemetery, Lockport, Findagrave.com. ,
Executive Committee.