Joseph Knight defeats a claim to perpetual servitude

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....

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...

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,...

Túpac Amaru II’s forces executed Antonio de Arriaga after his capture. The act openly challenged Spanish colonial authority and officials associated with abusive extraction. It escalated a rebellion...

Colonial authorities publicly executed Túpac Amaru II, Micaela Bastidas, and other captured participants in Cusco. The spectacle aimed to terrorize communities and restore obedience. It shows how...

Elizabeth Freeman and Brom won a Massachusetts freedom suit against John Ashley. They used the state constitution’s equality principle to challenge enslavement. The decision demonstrates how...