Black Eldorado on the Susquehanna: The Emergence of Black Columbia, 1726-1861 By Dr. Leroy T. Hopkins in November 1985 Lancaster Countians witnessed a truly historic event. For the first time in the County's long history a Black politician was elected mayor of one of its municipalities. As chance

prior to 1843. More importantly, however, the �144 JOURNAL Entry Book is an invaluable guide to Lancaster City's Antebellum Black population. To understand the conditions that led to the issuance of the ordi- nance it is necessary to sketch briefly race relations in Lancaster City prior to 1820. Slavery

County, Pennsylvania. 34Worner, William F., "The Race Riots", 182-187; and Ellis and Evans, A History of Lancaster County, 574. For an example of writings about splits in other black communities see Litwack, North of Slavery, 151-186, 247-279; August Meier, "Negro Class Struc- ture and Idealogy in the

of the same era. At the six- �90/4,1986 215 teenth "American Convention for promoting Abolition of Slavery and im- proving the condition of the African Race" which met on October 5, 1819 in Philadelphia the report presented by the Columbia, Pennsylvania Society is quite informative. After apologizing