A Jamaican act required people who had been enslaved when an alleged offense occurred to be tried under the rules applied to enslaved people, even if their owner later granted manumission. A person could claim the status of free only with proof that the manumission was recorded and certified before the alleged offense. The statute shows how the colonial state made freedom precarious through paperwork and retained a racialized legal status after emancipation from an owner.
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Under the 1784 act, what evidence was needed for recently manumitted people to claim free status at trial?
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Explanation
The act required prior recording and certification of manumission.