Aug 21, 2022 | 18th Century, England, Play, Transcription
Play Joseph Addison – Cato Excerpts (1713) A play about Cato the Younger, which ended up being wildly successful in both Britain and America, and was a source of inspiration during the American Revolution. Introduction In progress. Further Reading Sources Cite...
Jul 18, 2022 | 18th Century, North America, Transcription
Debt Act of 1732 Jefferson’s Notes on Debt Recovery Act (1732) In his copy of Parliament’s Debt Act of 1732, Thomas Jefferson situates Britain’s latest imperial encroachment within the existing body of colonial trade restrictions already in place. In the...
Jul 18, 2022 | 18th Century, Correspondence, North America, Transcription
Slavery in the courts Governor Gooch to Mr. Popple (1736) A letter from the colonial governor of Virginia, William Gooch, explaining why the colony passed a law denying the vote to free Black colonists. About The following is a letter from the colonial governor of...
Feb 24, 2022 | 18th Century, England, Legal Case, Transcription
Somerset v. Steuart (1772) Introduction James Somerset was the enslaved personal manservant of Charles Steuart, a Scottish-born Virginia merchant who became the chief customs officer charged with enforcing the unpopular Stamp Act and Townshend Duties in the northern...
Jun 9, 2021 | 18th Century, Correspondence, England, Transcription
George III Correspondences on the Slave Trade (1778) Below are three correspondences which document King George III’s comments on the slave trade. Introduction The following are three correspondences which document George III’s comments on the slave trade....
May 14, 2020 | 18th Century, Pamphlet, Transcription, United States
A Lawyer’s Call St. George Tucker’s Gradual Emancipation Plan (1796) One of Virginia’s most notable lawyers in the late 18th Century, Tucker set out to provide his state with a plan to rid itself of the institution of slavery. Introduction St. George...
