Brittnie Chang

History 7A

Document Interpretation 3

The document that I chose to interpret was Slave Petition To The House of

Representatives in Massachusetts Bay. One of the reasons mentioned by petitioners for ending

slavery included the moral aspect of it. Was it considered morally ethical to enslave another

human being and force them to do your bidding? How could Americans preach about freedom

and liberty when not everyone was free to experience it? After the American Revolution, the idea

that slavery might be wrong because it hit too close to home. Settlers in the New World felt

oppressed by the British. To oppress another group of people, after being oppressed themselves,

would be hypocritical of them. The petitioners also tried to appeal to the Christians. They

probably questioned why God would allow any of his creations to be so mistreated by another

group of his creations. People that follow the ways of Jesus should not force others into a state

of bondage and subjection.

A reference to the Declaration of Independence included in the article was that all men

are born free and equal. This included slaves. It would be a violation of the laws they created

themselves if the slaves were not freed. Another reference is the right to petition and take your

complaints to the courthouse.

In my opinion, the most convincing part of this argument was the mention of how cruel

slavery is. The petition talked about how slaves were ripped from their own families, never to see

them again, just to submit to the whims of their masters. To be sold like livestock and to be

treated as beneath a human is too cruel a life.

 This material is a primary source. It was written by slaves in a petition for the State of

Massachusetts Bay in General Court on January 13, 1777. This is a primary source because the

events that took place were written down by the people that were there.