Slaves and Independence
Much to the chagrin of many Revolutionaries, many slaves took the
public talk of liberty and independence during the 1760s and 70s to press their
own case for freedom.
Slave Petitions:
Massachusetts, 1773:
Province of the Massachusetts Bay To His Excellency Thomas Hutchinson, Esq;
Governor; To The Honorable His Majesty's Council, and To the Honorable House of
Representatives in General Court assembled at Boston, the 6th Day of January,
1773. The humble PETITION of many Slaves, living in the Town of Boston, and
other Towns in the Province is this, namely That your Excellency and Honors, and
the Honorable the Representatives would be pleased to take their unhappy State
and Condition under your wise and just Consideration.
We desire to bless God, who loves Mankind, who sent his Son to die for their
Salvation, and who is no respecter of Persons; that he hath lately put it into
the Hearts of Multitudes on both Sides of the Water, to bear our Burthens, some
of whom are Men of great Note and Influence; who have pleaded our Cause with
Arguments which we hope will have their weight with this Honorable Court.
We presume not to dictate to your Excellency and Honors, being willing to rest
our Cause on your Humanity and justice; yet would beg Leave to say a Word or two
on the Subject. Although some of the Negroes are vicious, (who doubtless may be
punished and restrained by the same Laws which are in Force against other of the
King's Subjects) there are many others of a quite different Character, and who,
if made free, would soon be able as well as willing to bear a Part in the Public
Charges; many of them of good natural Parts, are discreet, sober, honest, and
industrious; and may it not be said of many, that they are virtuous and
religious, although their Condition is in itself so unfriendly to Religion, and
every moral Virtue except Patience. How many of that Number have there been, and
now are in this Province, who have had every Day of their Lives embittered with
this most intollerable Reflection, That, let their Behaviour be what it will,
neither they, nor their Children to all Generations, shall ever be able to do,
or to possess and enjoy any Thing, no, not even Life itself, but in a Manner as
the Beasts that perish.
We have no Property. We have no Wives. No Children. We have no City. No Country.
But we have a Father in Heaven, and we are determined, as far as his Grace shall
enable us, and as far as our degraded contemptuous Life will admit, to keep all
his Commandments: Especially will we be obedient to our Masters, so long as God
in his sovereign Providence shall suffer us to be holden in Bondage.
It would be impudent, if not presumptuous in us, to suggest to your Excellency
and Honors any Law or Laws proper to be made, in relation to our unhappy State,
which, although our greatest Unhappiness, is not our Fault; and this gives us
great Encouragement to pray and hope for such Relief as is consistent with your
Wisdom, justice, and Goodness.
We think Ourselves very happy, that we may thus address the Great and General
Court of this Province, which great and good Court is to us, the best judge,
under God, of what is wise, just and good.
We humbly beg Leave to add but this one Thing more: We pray for such Relief
only, which by no Possibility can ever be productive of the least Wrong or
Injury to our Masters; but to us will be as Life from the dead.
Signed,
FELIX
Massachusetts, 1777:
To the Honorable Counsel & House of Representatives for the State of
Massachusetts Bay in General Court assembled, January 13, 1777:
The petition of A Great Number of Blackes detained in a State of slavery in the
bowels of a free & Christian County Humbly sheweth that your Petitioners
apprehend that they have in Common with all other men a Natural and Unalienable
Right to that freedom which the Grat Parent of the Universe that Bestowed
equally on all menkind and which they have Never forfeited by any Compact or
agreement whatever but that wher Unjustly Dragged by the hand of cruel Power
and their Derest friends and sum of them Even torn from the Embraces of their
tender Parentsfrom A populous Pleasant and Plentiful country and in violation
of Laws of Nature and of Nations and in Defiance of all the tender feelings of
humanity Brough here Either to Be sold like Beast of burthen & Like them
Condemned to Slavery for LifeAmong A People Professing the mild Religion of
Jesus A people Not Insensible of the Secrets of Rational Being Nor without
spirit to Resent the unjust endeavors of others to Reduce them to a state of
Bondage and Subjugation your hononuer Need not to be informed that A Live of
Slavery Like that of your petitioners Deprived of Every social privilege of
Every thing Requisite and render Life Tolable is far worse that Nonexistance.
(In imitat)ion of the Lawdable Example of the Good People of these States your
petitioners have Long and Patiently waited the Event of petition after petition.
By them presented tot the Legislative Body of this state and cannot but with
Grief Reflect that their Success hath been but too similar they Cannot but
express their Astonishment that It have Never Bin Considered that Every
Principle from which America has Acted in the Course of their unhappy
Difficulties with Great Briton Pleads Stronger than A thousand arguments in
favors of your petitioners they therfor humble Beseech your honours to give this
petition its due weight and consideration & cause an act of the legislature to
be past Wherby they may be Restored to the Enjoyments of that which is the
Natural right of all menand their Children who wher Born in this Land of
Liberty may not be held as Slaves after they arrive at the age of twenty one
years so may the Inhabitance of this States No longer chargeable with the
inconstancy of acting themselves that part which they condemn and oppose in
others Be prospered in their present Glorious struggle for Liberty and have
those Blessings to them, &c.
James Madison on Slaves and Independence, 1774:
"If America should come to a hostile rupture, I am afraid an Insurrection among
the slaves may well be promoted. In one of our Counties lately a few of those
unhappy wretches met together and chose a leader who was to conduct them when
the English troops should arrive -- which they foolishly thought would be very
soon and that by revolting to them they should be rewarded with their freedom.
Their intentions were soon discovered and the poor precautions taken to prevent
the Infection. It is prudent that such attempts should be concealed as well as
suppressed."
Report of Dorchester County Committee of Inspection, Fall 1775, Gilmor
Papers, Maryland Historical Society:
Maryland: In Dorchester County, MD, in the fall of 1775, came
news that “the insolence of the Negroes in this county is come to such a height,
that we are under a necessity of disarming them which we affected on Saturday
last. We took about eighty guns, some bayonets, swords, etc. The malicious and
imprudent speeches of some among the lower classes of whites have induced them
to believe, that their freedom depended on the success of the Kings troops. We
cannot therefore be too vigilant nor too rigorous with those who promote and
encourage this disposition in our slaves.”