"Natural and Inalienable Right to Freedom": Slaves 'Petition for Freedom to the Massachusetts Legislature, 1777.
(Complete Item Description)
- Abstract:
The colonists 'revolutionary struggle against British political authority also raised issues about equality and human rights at home. Enslaved people throughout the colonies seized upon the rhetoric of liberty and equality to point out the contradiction of fighting Great Britain over principles not fully followed by the colonies themselves; they also appealed to Christian precepts. Scores of petitions flooded the newly established state legislatures. This one, submitted to the Massachusetts General Court in 1777, linked the cause of American freedom with the struggle of African Americans for liberty. Several lawsuits seeking freedom were successful. When Quok Walker sued for his freedom and back wages in 1781, the Massachusetts Chief Justice ruled that his enslavement violated the new state constitution's statement that "men are born free and Equal." His case effectively ended slavery in Massachusetts and other New England states.
- Subject:
- Humanities
- Grade Level:
- Secondary, Post-secondary
- Collection:
- Many Pasts (CHNM/ASHP)