Prince Hall and companions enter Freemasonry

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...

A petition submitted under the name Felix asked Massachusetts authorities to address the condition of enslaved people. The petitioners asserted their humanity and appealed collectively for liberty....

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...

Túpac Amaru II captured the Spanish official Antonio de Arriaga, beginning a major rebellion. Micaela Bastidas played a central organizational role. Resistance to forced labor, abusive officials,...