On March 12, 1859, in the home of William Webb 200 feet north of this spot, Frederick Douglass and John Brown met with several Detroit Negro residents to discuss methods of abolishing American Negro slavery. Brown, a fiery antislavery leader, ardently advocated insurrectionary procedures and eight months later became a martyr to the cause. Douglass, an ex-slave and internationally recognized antislavery orator and writer, sought a solution through political means and orderly democratic processes. Although they differed on tactics, they were united in the cause of American Negro freedom. Among the prominent members of Detroit's Negro community reported to have been present were William Lambert, George DeBaptiste, Dr. Joseph Ferguson, Rev. C. Monroe, Willis Wilson, John Jackson, and William Webb.