TABLE OF CONTENTS
About the Author
Rosemarie Zagarri received her PhD from Yale University in 1984. Her most recent book is Women and Politics in the Early American Republic (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007). Dr. Zagarri's work focuses on gender and politics during the American Revolution and the early years of the country.
Causes of the American Revolution
Petition by African American Slaves to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives (1777)
Annotation
This document demonstrates the extent to which some enslaved African Americans identified with the revolutionary cause. These enslaved people adopted many of the same sentiments as white colonists in their struggle against Great Britain, and even employed some of the same language as the Declaration of Independence in demanding their freedom from slavery.
To the Honorable Counsel & House of [Representa-]tives for the State of Massachusette Bay in General Court assembled, Jan 13 1777—
The petition of A Great Number of Blackes detained in a State of Slavery in the Bowels of a free & christian Country Humbly shuwith that your Petitioners Apprehend that Thay have in Common with all other men a Natural and Unaliable Right to that freedom which the Grat - Parent of the Unavese hath Bestowed equalley on all menkind and which they have Never forfuted by Any Compact or Agreement whatever — but thay wher Unjustly Dragged by the hand of cruel Power from their Derest frinds and sum of them Even torn from the Embraces of their tender Parents — from A popolous Plasant And plentiful cuntry And in Violation of Laws of Nature and off Nations And in defiance of all the tender feelings of humanity Brough hear Either to Be sold Like Beast of Burthen & Like them Condemnd to Slavery for Life — among A People Profesing the [mild?] Religion of Jesus A people Not Insensible of the Secrets of Rationable Being Nor without spirit to Resent the unjust endeavours of others to Reduce them to A state of Bondage and Subjection your honouer Need not to be informed that A Life of Slavery Like that of your Petioners Deprived of Every social Priviledge of Every thing Requiset to Render Life Tolable is far [ . . . ] worse then Nonexistance.
[In imita ]tion of [the] Lawdable Example of the Good People of these States your petiononers have Long and Patiently waited the Evnt of petition after petition By them presented to the Legislative Body of this state And cannot but with Grief Reflect that their Sucess hath ben but too similar they Cannot but express their Astonisments that It has Never Bin Consirdered that Every Principle from which Amarica has Acted in the Cours Of their unhappy Deficultes with Great Briton Pleads Stronger than A thousand arguments in favowrs of Your petioners thay therfor humble Beseech your Honours to give this petion its due weight & consider-ration and cause an act of the Legislatur to be past Wherby they may Be Restored to the Enjoyments of that Which is the Naturel Right of all men — and their — Children who wher Born in this Land of Liberty may not be heald as Slaves after they arive at the age of Twenty one years so may the Inhabitance of thes State No longer chargeable with the inconsistancey of acting themselves the part which thay condem and oppose in Others Be prospered in their present Glorious Struggle for Liberty and have those Blessing to them &c.
From the Massachusetts Historical Society. "Petition for freedom to the Massachusetts Council and the House of Representatives, January 1777." Accessed May 30, 2012.