![By Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) and either William Hackwood or Henry Webber; "Josiah Wedgewood...produced the emblem as a jasper-ware cameo at his pottery factory. Although the artist who designed and engraved the seal is unknown, the design for the cameo is attributed to William Hackwood or to Henry Webber, who were both modelers at the Wedgewood factory." (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h67.html PBS]) (British Abolition Movement) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://pennsylvania.tenthamendmentcenter.com/files/2013/01/BLAKE10.jpg)
Facts: Pennsylvania’s 1780 Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery predated the Constitution by 7 years. It predated Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation by 83 years and it predated the 13th amendment by 85 years.
Pennsylvania’s emancipation act also preceded the end of slavery by more than 230 years (and counting) in the handful of countries where slavery is still practiced today.
And, Pennsylvania’s 1780 emancipation act was implemented without triggering an internal war or rebellion.
Question: Is it really a good idea for Pennsylvanians to rely on the federal government or United Nations to protect our rights?
Trivia: The clerk of the General Assembly when Pennsylvania passed this act was none other than Thomas Paine, of “Common Sense” fame.
Bonus: Should we talk about the respective Human Rights records of Pennsylvania and the federal government where the American Indian is concerned?
Cross-posted from the Pennsylvania Tenth Amendment Center.
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