Enslaved petitioners demand freedom in Massachusetts

Enslaved people took up arms near the Stono River and moved toward Spanish Florida, where some escapees could obtain freedom. Colonial forces crushed the rebellion. It demonstrated collective...

After sustained resistance by people who had escaped slavery, Dutch colonial authorities concluded a treaty with the Ndyuka. It recognized their freedom and autonomy, but also required the return of...

Saamaka leaders concluded a peace treaty with the Dutch after decades of resistance. Recognition of their communities’ freedom did not abolish slavery elsewhere in Suriname; provisions concerning...

Enslaved people rose on a Berbice plantation in resistance to Dutch colonial slavery. The rebellion expanded into a major struggle for freedom associated with Cuffy and other leaders. Plantation...

James Somerset’s legal challenge prevented his enslaver from forcibly shipping him from England to Jamaica. The ruling limited an enslaver’s power in England but did not abolish slavery throughout the...

Prince Hall and fourteen other Black men were initiated into a British military Masonic lodge in Boston. The step helped create an institutional foundation for Black mutual aid and public leadership...

Virginia’s royal governor promised freedom to enslaved people owned by rebels who joined British forces. Many seized the opportunity, but the proclamation was a military measure rather than...

Prince Hall and other petitioners asked Massachusetts lawmakers to end enslavement. They argued that freedom was a natural right and challenged people who condemned British oppression while...

Scotland’s Court of Session rejected John Wedderburn’s claim to hold Joseph Knight in perpetual service and remove him abroad. Knight’s legal action challenged enslavement brought from a Caribbean...

Pennsylvania passed a gradual abolition law after antislavery campaigning. People already enslaved remained in bondage, while children born afterward could be held until age twenty-eight. The law...