Pennsylvania Hall: Promise, Violence, and the Fight for Freedom in All We Were Promised

What Is Pennsylvania Hall?

Pennsylvania Hall is a real historical building that serves as a central symbol in Ashton Lattimore’s novel All We Were Promised. In the story, it is a newly constructed meeting hall built by a coalition of Black and white abolitionists in Philadelphia. The hall features a massive columned façade, a Grand Saloon with carved wooden chairs and blue silk cushions, and a rose‑adorned arch inscribed with the motto “Virtue, Liberty, and Independence.” The building houses an abolitionist bookstore, a produce store selling goods made only with free labor, and the offices of The Pennsylvania Freeman newspaper. It represents the culmination of years of fundraising—more than forty thousand dollars raised by groups like the Philadelphia Female Anti‑Slavery Society—and stands as a physical testament to the growing abolitionist movement.

Where Pennsylvania Hall Appears and How Its Meaning Changes

The hall is first mentioned early in the novel as a distant construction site. In Chapter 2, Nell Gardner looks longingly at the building frame, calling its completion “a dream come true.” At this stage, Pennsylvania Hall embodies the hope that abolitionists can create their own space, free from the hostility of landlords who refuse to rent to them. The unfinished building promises a future where anti‑slavery voices can be heard without restraint.

As the novel progresses, the hall becomes the setting for the grand opening conventions in May 1838. In Chapter 28, Nell attends the opening and feels both pride and disappointment. Inside, the hall is magnificent and packed with thousands of supporters. Yet the speaker slate is all‑white and gradualist, revealing that even this progressive space is not immune to the limitations of white‑led abolitionism. Nell notes that the hall’s promise of radical action is undercut by the cautious politics of its organizers. At the same time, the mob outside grows more hostile, and placards call for the convention’s forced dispersal. The hall’s meaning shifts from a symbol of unity to a target of violent backlash.

For Charlotte Vaughn, the hall represents a sanctuary. In Chapter 40, after escaping her kidnappers, she rushes toward the hall, thinking “Get inside, and she’d be safe.” The hall offers her a moment of respite and a sense of belonging: “a grand hall filled with people dedicated to liberty was the closest thing she’d find to a place that was really for her.” But even there, the mob’s hatred intrudes. The hall’s walls prove too thin to keep out the shouts and threats.

In Chapter 41, the hall’s destruction is described in vivid detail. A mob breaks in, smashes furniture, and sets the building on fire. The roof collapses, and the gas lamps fuel an “otherworldly blue glow.” Nell finally weeps. The hall—once a beacon of progress—becomes a symbol of the violence that meets any challenge to the slave system. After the destruction, abolitionists let the ruined shell stand for years as a martyr to their cause, as the Author’s Note confirms. The hall’s meaning thus evolves from hope to contested space to martyrdom.

Character Connections

Nell Gardner: Nell’s arc is tied to the hall. She sees it as proof that abolitionism can succeed, but she also confronts its limitations. In Chapter 28, she is frustrated by the gradualist speakers and the mob’s threat. After the hall burns, she shifts from naive optimism to a hardened commitment to direct action. The hall’s destruction forces her to recognize that true freedom requires risk and solidarity beyond polite society. She later helps organize an independent group for fugitives, moving from the hall’s grand stage to grassroots work.
Charlotte Vaughn: For Charlotte, the hall represents both physical safety and the ideals she longs for. A runaway slave passing as a maid, she finds the hall a rare place where she can be open about her past. In Chapter 40, she delivers an impromptu speech at the women’s convention, speaking for the first time as a fugitive. The hall gives her a platform, but its fragility mirrors her own precarious freedom. After the hall is burned, she refuses to flee north, choosing instead to stay in Philadelphia and build a new life with Evie, a decision rooted in the hall’s spirit of defiance.
Evie: The enslaved girl Evie sees the hall as a vision of integrated freedom. In Chapter 39, she enters the hall and admits she now understands why Charlotte loves such places. For Evie, the hall represents a world where Black and white people work together for justice—a stark contrast to her life in Kate Jackson’s household. The hall’s destruction dashes her immediate escape plans, but she later commits to helping Hetty Reckless form a new fugitive‑aid group, carrying the hall’s promise forward.
Hetty Reckless: As a formerly enslaved founding member of the Female Anti‑Slavery Society, Hetty is a bridge between the hall’s high ideals and the dangerous work of hiding runaways. She uses the hall as a meeting point to coordinate Evie’s escape, and after the fire, she proposes an independent organization for fugitives, showing that the hall’s spirit survives its physical destruction.

Theme Connections

Racial Passing and Identity: The hall is one of the few places where characters like Charlotte can momentarily drop their masks. Inside, she speaks openly as a runaway; the hall’s integrated space allows for authentic self‑expression. The mob’s attack, however, reminds her that such authenticity is never safe.
Female Friendship and Solidarity: Women’s networks—especially the Philadelphia Female Anti‑Slavery Society—fund the hall and plan its conventions. Nell, Charlotte, Hetty, and Evie use the hall as a base for plotting Evie’s escape. The hall’s destruction strengthens their bond; they regroup afterward to form a new, more radical group.
Freedom versus Security: The hall embodies the tension between the security of gradualist politics and the risk of immediate abolition. The all‑white speaker slate represents a cautious approach that seeks to avoid violence, but the mob attacks anyway, proving that no amount of moderation guarantees safety. The hall’s burning forces characters to choose: retreat into security (as James Vaughn wants to flee north) or continue the fight despite danger (as Charlotte and Nell choose).
Risk and Conspiracy in the Underground Railroad: The hall’s opening provides cover for Evie’s escape. Charlotte realizes that attendees heading north can smuggle Evie out of the city. When the hall is destroyed, the escape plan nearly unravels, but the network of activists still manages to rescue Charlotte and later help Evie. The hall thus serves as both a catalyst and a casualty of the Underground Railroad’s risky work.

Study Questions

How does the description of Pennsylvania Hall’s interior (the Grand Saloon, the motto “Virtue, Liberty, and Independence”) reflect the ideals of the abolitionist movement? How does the reality of the mob attack contrast with those ideals?
Answer: The interior’s grandeur—carved chairs, blue silk cushions, the rose‑adorned arch—represents the abolitionists’ vision of a just and enlightened society. The motto explicitly invokes the nation’s founding principles, implying that abolitionism is the true continuation of the American Revolution. The mob attack shatters this vision, revealing that the same society that claims virtue and liberty is willing to destroy a building and threaten lives to uphold slavery. The burning hall exposes the hypocrisy of a nation that celebrates freedom while condoning bondage.
In Chapter 28, Nell is frustrated that the hall’s opening features all‑white, gradualist speakers. How does this internal conflict within the abolitionist movement relate to the hall as a symbol?
Answer: The hall was meant to be a unified space for all abolitionists, but the choice of speakers reveals that even progressive white leaders often marginalize Black voices and favor cautious reform over immediate action. The hall’s symbolic promise of equality is undermined by the very people who built it. This mirrors the broader theme that institutions created for liberation can replicate the hierarchies they aim to dismantle. Nell’s frustration pushes her toward more radical, Black‑led activism after the hall’s destruction.
Trace the evolution of Nell’s emotional response to Pennsylvania Hall from Chapter 2 to Chapter 41. What does this change reveal about her character development?
Answer: In Chapter 2, Nell looks at the construction site with hope and impatience, calling it a “dream come true.” By Chapter 28, her hope is tempered by disappointment in the convention’s politics, but she still believes the hall can be a force for good. In Chapter 41, as she watches the hall burn, she finally weeps. Her tears mark a loss of innocence. She has moved from idealistic optimism to a sober recognition that progress is fragile and that genuine freedom requires risk, sacrifice, and community‑based action—lessons she carries forward.
How does Charlotte’s experience inside Pennsylvania Hall in Chapter 40 contrast with her experience outside the hall in the same chapter? What does the hall represent for her personally?
Answer: Outside the hall, Charlotte is terrified by the mob’s hatred, forced to weave through hostile crowds. Inside, she finds safety and a sense of belonging. She thinks, “a grand hall filled with people dedicated to liberty was the closest thing she’d find to a place that was really for her.” For Charlotte, the hall represents a sanctuary where she can be her true self—a runaway slave with a voice. Yet even inside, the mob’s pounding on the walls reminds her that this sanctuary is temporary and contested. The hall mirrors her own precarious freedom: beautiful and inspiring, but always under threat.