Mass meeting in Philadelphia's Independence Square endorses the Union and conciliation with South

A massive meeting estimated at around fifty thousand people assembled in Independence Square in Philadelphia.  The City Council had authorized and sanctioned the gathering and the courts, the Naval Yard, and many surrounding businesses were closed for the day.  Mayor Alexander Henry chaired the meeting that passed a number of resolutions that declared Philadelphians for the Union but also demanded that conciliation with the South take place, especially in the areas of rhetoric attacking slavery and the enforcement of the federal Fugitive Slave Law.  (By John Osborne)