20                        THE REVIEW



                               III

         THE NEGROES OF PHILADELPHIA.

   [Mr. R. R. Wright, Jr., has carved for himmself a commanding and unique place
among the social students and statisticians of the country. His equipoise and ability
to draw legtimate deductions from figures and isolated facts compel the respect, if
not the assent, of all thoughtful men. It is because of their informational and ref
erence value that this series of papers originally printed in "The Public Ledger,"
are reproduced.  We are sure their value will be generally appreciated.--Editor.] 


                                I.
     While to-day the whole country has its interest turned
upon the question of the Negroes in general, and recently  upon
the Negro soldiers in particular, it will not be without profit
to those interested in the subject to relate a few things regard-
ing the black population in our midst-the Negroes of Phil-
adelphia.
     There has never been a time in the history  of Philadel-
phia when there were no Negroes here; but when they first
came, or how, we may never know.  In the first laws for the
government of the Province of Pennsylvania black servants
are mentioned along with white servants, plainly showing their
presence in the colony during the time of William Penn.  In-
deed, there is evidence that they were in Pennsylvania and
Delaware before the Proprietor came to this country.
    Today Philadelphia has about 5 per cent. of its popula-
tion Negroes, which is two-and-a-half times as great a percent-
age as in New York or Chicago.  Philadelphia has the largest




			

African Methodist Episcopal Church Review, Vol. 24, Num. 1

Negroes of Philadelphia

R.

Volume:  24
Issue Number:  01
Page Number:  20
Date:  07/1907