 In 1855 he was a delegate to the Colored National Convention, and in 1865 he was elected president of the Colored People's Union League of Philadelphia.In 1865, he also joined the Pennsylvania State Equal Rights League.He encouraged the enlistment of black soldiers in the Union Army; a September 12, 1863, article in "The Weekly Anglo-African" noted that he was one of those who "presented the regimental colors to the Sixth United States Colored Troop", and afterwards spoke to them, praising the courage of black troops in the war effort.