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= 1884 Florida State Convention of Colored Men = The Florida State Convention of Colored Men took place on February 5th in 1884 .. The Conference was in session over the course of the day. For the morning session, they met in Roper's Hall at 10:00 am then in the Gainsville City Hall at 7:00 pm for the evening session. It was established in the morning session that Judge James Dean, Esq.,of Suwannee County Many topics were discussed at the conference, these include: property, religion, education, civil rights, and politics. During the conference, they emphasized many things in regards to all the topics. They spoke about the importance of property rights as well as the necessity of protecting those rights. The members discussed that living a christian lifestyle based around solid and honest morals to create a productive and fruitful civilization but by no means should Christianity be forced on anyone. The convention attendees spoke at length about the importance of education. They spoke about how men should familiarize themselves with the sciences and that education can lead to success on the battlefield.

Political And Civil Rights
In terms of Civil Rights, The members of the convention defined what Civil Rights meant to them which includes the right to hold property, to obtain an education, and the freedom to pursue any religious beliefs they want to. In terms of political rights, the convention participants discuss how in a free government, political rights are the rights that are protective of all rights for every man. The convention proceedings go on to express the the right to vote without feeling pressured or feared into voting in a particular way as well as a free citizens right, in government, to be voted into, and hold a position in office. The last topic of discussion for the convention was the topic of political parties,. Those who were at the convention agreed that the main focus for any political party was to make sure that they are continually in pursuit of creating a better society for all citizens.

Women At The Convention
According to the proceedings of the convention, the presence of women was not discussed in the proceedings. The proceedings spoke about African Americans as a whole group, men, women, and children.

Notable Attendees
All counties in the state of Florida sent representatives to the convention to attend and voice the opinions of the African Americans living in their particular county.

Josiah Thomas Walls - Served three terms as a US Congressman

Judge James Dean, Esq.,of Suwannee County - Elected President of the Convention