Proceedings of the Yearly Meeting of Congregational Friends, 1849-1861

In June 1848, a group of radical Friends separated from Genesee Yearly Meeting to form the Yearly Meeting of Congregational Friends, renamed the Friends of Human Progress in 1854. The Congregational Friends emphasized the importance of social reform, such as the urgent abolition of slavery, and minimized the importance of theological distinctions between religious sects. The issue of woman's equality stood as a central concern of the group, whose active members included Mary Ann M'Clintock, Jane Hunt, and other individuals involved in organizing the Seneca Falls Convention. The Seneca Falls Convention, which was held in a nearby town just a month after the Yearly Meeting of Congregational Friends was formed, is sometimes cited as the beginning of the woman's suffrage movement in America.