Less than a year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which declared all men have the “unalienable rights” to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a group of free Black men, some of whom had been enslaved, presented this petition to the state legislature of Massachusetts asking the government for their freedom. They argued that the institution of slavery was not consistent with the freedoms for which the American Revolution was being fought. This petition, attributed to Prince Hall (1735–1807) and signed by Hall and seven other free Black men, was rejected, as were the six petitions that preceded it between 1773 and 1777.

Creator:

The official copy (this is a manuscript copy) has been attributed to Prince Hall and signed by Hall and seven other free Black men.

Date Created:

January 13, 1777

Materials and Measurements:

30.7 cm x 20.5 cm

Object Identifier #:

From the Jeremy Belknap Papers, Ms. N-1827

Citation Label:

Petition for freedom (manuscript copy), [13] January 1777 from the Jeremy Belknap papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, www.masshist.org/database/557

Petition for Freedom to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives, [13] January 1777

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 [were]
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 [Tolerable] 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 [Event] 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 [petition] 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 [held] as Slaves after they arive at the age of
Twenty one years so may the Inhabitance of thes [this] 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.

[Endorsement]

Copy of Petition

Petition for Freedom (manuscript copy) to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives, [13] January 1777

Edited transcript: standardized spelling

To the Honorable Counsel & House of Representatives for the State of Massachusetts Bay in General Court assembled, Jan 13 1777 --

The petition of A Great Number of Blacks detained in a State of Slavery in the Bowels of a free & christian Country Humbly shuwith that your Petitioners Apprehend that They have in Common with all other men a Natural and Inalienable Right to that freedom which the Great - Parent of the Universe hath Bestowed equally on all mankind and which they have Never forfeited by Any Compact or Agreement whatever -- but they were Unjustly Dragged by the hand of cruel Power from their Dearest friends and some of them Even torn from the Embraces of their tender Parents -- from A populousPleasant And plentiful country And in Violation of Laws of Nature and of Nations And in defiance of all the tender feelings of humanity Brought here Either to Be sold Like Beast of Burthen & Like them Condemned to Slavery for Life -- among A People Profesing the [mild?] Religion of Jesus A people Not Insensible of the Secrets of Rational Beings Nor without spirit to Resent the unjust endeavors of others to Reduce them to A state of Bondage and Subjection your honor Need not to be informed that A Life of Slavery Like that of your Petitioners Deprived of Every social Privilege of Everything Requisite to Render Life Tolerable is far [ . . . ] worse than Nonexistence.

In imitation of the Laudable Example of the Good People of these States your petitioners have Long and Patiently waited the Event of petition after petition By them presented to the Legislative Body of this state And cannot but with Grief Reflect that their Success hath been but too similar they Cannot but express their [Astonishments that It has Never Been Considered that Every Principle from which America has Acted in the Course Of their unhappy Difficulties with Great Britain Pleads Stronger than A thousand arguments in favors of Your petitioners they therefore humbly Beseech your Honours to give this petition its due weight & consideration and cause an act of the Legislature to be passed Whereby they may Be Restored to the Enjoyments of that Which is the Natural Right of all men -- and their -- Children who were Born in this Land of Liberty may not be held as Slaves after they arrive at the age of Twenty one years so may the Inhabitants of this State No longer chargeable with the inconsistency of acting themselves the part which they condemn and oppose in Others Be prospered in their present Glorious Struggle
for Liberty and have those Blessing to them &c.

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Less than a year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which declared all men have the “unalienable rights” to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a group of free Black men, some of whom had been enslaved, presented this petition to the state legislature of Massachusetts asking the government for their freedom. They argued that the institution of slavery was not consistent with the freedoms for which the American Revolution was being fought. This petition, attributed to Prince Hall (1735–1807) and signed by Hall and seven other free Black men, was rejected, as were the six petitions that preceded it between 1773 and 1777.

Creator:

The official copy (this is a manuscript copy) has been attributed to Prince Hall and signed by Hall and seven other free Black men.

Date Created:

January 13, 1777

Materials and Measurements:

30.7 cm x 20.5 cm

Object Identifier #:

From the Jeremy Belknap Papers, Ms. N-1827

Citation Label:

Petition for freedom (manuscript copy), [13] January 1777 from the Jeremy Belknap papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, www.masshist.org/database/557

Petition for Freedom to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives, [13] January 1777

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 [were]
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 [Tolerable] 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 [Event] 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 [petition] 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 [held] as Slaves after they arive at the age of
Twenty one years so may the Inhabitance of thes [this] 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.

[Endorsement]

Copy of Petition

Petition for Freedom (manuscript copy) to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives, [13] January 1777

Edited transcript: standardized spelling

To the Honorable Counsel & House of Representatives for the State of Massachusetts Bay in General Court assembled, Jan 13 1777 --

The petition of A Great Number of Blacks detained in a State of Slavery in the Bowels of a free & christian Country Humbly shuwith that your Petitioners Apprehend that They have in Common with all other men a Natural and Inalienable Right to that freedom which the Great - Parent of the Universe hath Bestowed equally on all mankind and which they have Never forfeited by Any Compact or Agreement whatever -- but they were Unjustly Dragged by the hand of cruel Power from their Dearest friends and some of them Even torn from the Embraces of their tender Parents -- from A populousPleasant And plentiful country And in Violation of Laws of Nature and of Nations And in defiance of all the tender feelings of humanity Brought here Either to Be sold Like Beast of Burthen & Like them Condemned to Slavery for Life -- among A People Profesing the [mild?] Religion of Jesus A people Not Insensible of the Secrets of Rational Beings Nor without spirit to Resent the unjust endeavors of others to Reduce them to A state of Bondage and Subjection your honor Need not to be informed that A Life of Slavery Like that of your Petitioners Deprived of Every social Privilege of Everything Requisite to Render Life Tolerable is far [ . . . ] worse than Nonexistence.

In imitation of the Laudable Example of the Good People of these States your petitioners have Long and Patiently waited the Event of petition after petition By them presented to the Legislative Body of this state And cannot but with Grief Reflect that their Success hath been but too similar they Cannot but express their [Astonishments that It has Never Been Considered that Every Principle from which America has Acted in the Course Of their unhappy Difficulties with Great Britain Pleads Stronger than A thousand arguments in favors of Your petitioners they therefore humbly Beseech your Honours to give this petition its due weight & consideration and cause an act of the Legislature to be passed Whereby they may Be Restored to the Enjoyments of that Which is the Natural Right of all men -- and their -- Children who were Born in this Land of Liberty may not be held as Slaves after they arrive at the age of Twenty one years so may the Inhabitants of this State No longer chargeable with the inconsistency of acting themselves the part which they condemn and oppose in Others Be prospered in their present Glorious Struggle
for Liberty and have those Blessing to them &c.