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Abigail Addams and Slave Petitions
Abigail Addams and Slave Petitions
endure the Shocking Idea? Can your Honours any longer Suffer, this great
Evil to prevail, under your Government? We entreat your Honours, let no
Considerations of Publick Inconvenience, deter your Honours, from
interposing in Behalf of your Petitioners; who ask for nothing, but what we
are fully persuaded, is ours to Claim. we beseech your Honours, to weigh
this Matter, in the Scale of Justice, and in your great Wisdom and Goodness,
apply such Remedy, as the Evil does require; and let your Petitioners.
Rejoice with your Honours, in the Participation, with your Honours, of that
inestimable Blessing,
Freedom and your Humble Petitioners, as in Duty bound, shall Ever pray
&c. dated in Fairfield the 11th Day of May AD 1779 -prime a Negro Man Servant to Mr. Saml Surges of Fairfield Prince his X
mark Servant of Capt Stephen Jennings of Fairfield in Behalf of Themselves
and the other Petitioners Signed in Presence of Jonth Surges
"FELIX" (UNKNOWN) SLAVE PETITION FOR FREEDOM (JANUARY 6,
1773)1
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 Kings 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
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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 intolerable
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
PETER BESTES AND OTHER SLAVES PETITION FOR FREEDOM
(APRIL 20,1773)2
Sir,
The efforts made by the legislative of this province in their last sessions to
free themselves from slavery, gave us, who are in that deplorable state, a
high degree of satisfaction. We expect great things from men who have
made such a noble stand against the designs of their fellow-men to enslave
them. We cannot but wish and hope Sir, that you will have the same grand
object, we mean civil and religious liberty, in view in your next session. The
divine spirit of freedom, seems to fire every humane breast on this
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could rest in our own Cottages, or whether we should not be driven from
the sea coasts to seek shelter in the wilderness, but now we feel as if we
might sit under our own vine and eat the good of the land.
I feel a gaieti de Coar to which before I was a stranger. I think the Sun looks
brighter, the Birds sing more melodiously, and Nature puts on a more
chearfull countanance. We feel a temporary peace, and the poor fugitives
are returning to their deserted habitations.
Tho we felicitate ourselves, we sympathize with those who are trembling
least the Lot of Boston should be theirs. But they cannot be in similar
circumstances unless pusilanimity and cowardise should take possession of
them. They have time and warning given them to see the Evil and shun it.-I
long to hear that you have declared an independancy-and by the way in the
new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I
desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and
favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power
into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they
could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are
determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any
Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.
That your Sex are Naturally Tyrannical is a Truth so thoroughly established
as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give
up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of
Friend. Why then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless
to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity. Men of Sense in all Ages
abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your Sex. Regard
us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in
immitation of the Supreem Being make use of that power only for our
happiness.
April 5
Not having an opportunity of sending this I shall add a few lines more; tho
not with a heart so gay. I have been attending the sick chamber of our
Neighbour Trot whose affliction I most sensibly feel but cannot discribe,
striped of two lovely children in one week. Gorge the Eldest died on
wednesday and Billy the youngest on fryday, with the Canker fever, a terible
disorder so much like the thr[o]at distemper, that it differs but little from it.
Betsy Cranch has been very bad, but upon the recovery. Becky Peck they do
not expect will live out the day. Many grown person[s] are now sick with it,
in this [street?] 5. It rages much in other Towns. The Mumps too are very
frequent. Isaac is now confined with it. Our own little flock are yet well. My
Heart trembles with anxiety for them. God preserve them.
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I want to hear much oftener from you than I do. March 8 was the last date
of any that I have yet had. - You inquire of whether I am making Salt peter. I
have not yet attempted it, but after Soap making believe I shall make the
experiment. I find as much as I can do to manufacture cloathing for my
family which would else be Naked. I know of but one person in this part of
the Town who has made any, that is Mr. Tertias Bass as he is calld who has
got very near an hundred weight which has been found to be very good. I
have heard of some others in the other parishes. Mr. Reed of Weymouth has
been applied to, to go to Andover to the mills which are now at work, and
has gone. I have lately seen a small Manuscrip de[s]cribing the proportions
for the various sorts of powder, fit for cannon, small arms and pistols. If it
would be of any Service your way I will get it transcribed and send it to you.
- Every one of your Friend[s] send their Regards, and all the little ones. Your
Brothers youngest child lies bad with convulsion fitts. Adieu. I need not say
how much I am Your ever faithfull Friend.
Butterfield, L.H., editor. Adams Family Correspondence, vol.1: pp. 369-371.
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press,
1963-1993.
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