The Triumph and Tragedy of Octavius V. Catto By V. Chapman Smith
Octavius V. Catto In the 19th century Philadelphia was home to
America's largest free-black, pre-Civil War community and as
such played a major role in the fight against slavery and for
African American rights of citizenship and opportunity. Black
Philadelphians thoughtfully and purposely created a community
that reflected an African American worldview. Richard Allen and
Absalom Jones each founded America's first black churches in
1794, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas and Mother
Bethel, as a means to overcome the racism faced by blacks in
white churches. Philadelphia blacks joined together to petition
Congress to abolish the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which
permitted masters to pursue runaways across state lines. During
the city's Yellow Fever epidemic, the black community organized
to nurse and care for the afflicted, believing (falsely) that
blacks were immune to the disease. During the War of 1812 the
community recruited 2,500 bla