Morganian Society (Morgan County, Illinois) constitution

The Morganian Society was an anti-slavery organization created by residents of Morgan County, Illinois in or around 1823. The Society was probably founded in response to a call for an election to be held in 1824 which would allow Illinoisians to revise the state constitution, which might have allowed Illinois to permit slavery. The organization had roughly 130 members, consisting of men from across the county. They likely disbanded after the election, when Illinois residents declined to revise the constitution.

The collection contains a copy of the Morganian Society’s constitution, which lays out the organization’s goals and views. The constitution also features a list of roughly 130 founding members.