Aug 21, 2022 | 18th Century, Legal, North America, Transcription
massachusetts Freedom Petitions Petitioner Appeals in The Massachusetts Spy (1774) Many enslaved peoples petitioned for their freedom in January 1773. Below are two of the petitioners’ appeals, presented to the General Court of Massachusetts in 1774 and reprinted in...
Aug 21, 2022 | 18th Century, Legal, Transcription, United States
Peter Mcnelly Affidavit of Peter McNelly (1794) By taking his kidnappers to court, Peter McNelly forced two territorial judges to grapple with how to interpret the Northwest Ordinance in a way that would make Congress’ ban on slavery an enforceable one. Introduction...
