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...
Jul 1, 2020 | 17th Century, Manuscript, North America, Transcription
London Locke’s 1698 Virginia Plan As a leading member of the Board of Trade after the Glorious Revolution in 1688, John Locke investigated and wrote a lengthy plan to reform Virginia laws and policies, including polices of governance and that related to slavery....
May 14, 2020 | 18th Century, Law, North America
Codifying Enslavement The Virginia Slave Code of 1705 As Virginia entered the new century, the legislature set out to make slavery law in a way it hadn’t before. The new law was the most detailed slave code the colony had produced yet, and would vastley...
May 1, 2020 | 18th Century, Book, North America, Transcription
A New Englander Speaks Samuel Sewall – The Selling of Joseph (1700) While not a pamphlet that would consistently continue to catch the attention of others after its publication, The Selling of Joseph represents the first published attack on slavery in New...
Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, Correspondence, North America, Transcription
Bacon’s Rebellion Sir Thomas Grantham Letter to a Leader of Bacon’s Rebellion In 1676, the colony of Virginia was rocked by a large scale rebellion. Many issues were at play during this time, not the least of which being the authority of the governor over...
Apr 30, 2020 | 17th Century, North America
Virginia Enquiries to the Governor of Virginia (1671) Back in England, those appointed to supervise the colonies often wrote to governors to learn about the various colonies’ structure, affairs, etc. In 1670, these supervisors wrote to Virginia’s governor...
