Slave
Petition to the Governor, Council, and House of Representatives of the Province
of Massachusetts
25 May
1774
The
Petition of a Grate Number of Blackes of this Province who by divine permission
are held in a state of Slavery within the bowels of a free and christian
Country
Humbly
Shewing
That
your Petitioners apprehind we have in common with all other men a naturel right
to our freedoms without Being depriv'd of them by our fellow men as we are a
freeborn Pepel and have never forfeited this Blessing by aney compact or
agreement whatever. But we were unjustly dragged by the cruel hand of power
from our dearest frinds and sum of us stolen from the bosoms of our tender
Parents and from a Populous Pleasant and plentiful country and Brought hither
to be made slaves for Life in a Christian land. Thus are we deprived of every
thing that hath a tendency to make life even tolerable, the endearing ties of
husband and wife we are strangers to for we are no longer man and wife then our
masters or mestreses thinkes proper marred or onmarred. Our children are also
taken from us by force and sent maney miles from us wear we seldom or ever see
them again there to be made slaves of for Life which sumtimes is vere short by
Reson of Being dragged from their mothers Breest Thus our Lives are imbittered
to us on these accounts By our deplorable situation we are rendered incapable
of shewing our obedience to Almighty God how can a slave perform the duties of
a husband to a wife or parent to his child How can a husband leave master and
work and cleave to his wife How can the wife submit themselves to there
husbands in all things. How can the child obey thear parents in all things.
There is a grat number of us sencear . . . members of the Church of Christ how
can the master and the slave be said to fulfil that command Live in love let
Brotherly Love contuner and abound Beare yea onenothers Bordenes How can the
master be said to Beare my Borden when he Beares me down whith the Have chanes
of slavery and operson against my will and how can we fulfill our parte of duty
to him whilst in this condition and as we cannot searve our God as we ought
whilst in this situation Nither can we reap an equal benefet from the laws of
the Land which doth not justifi but condemns Slavery or if there had bin aney
Law to hold us in Bondege we are Humbely of the Opinon ther never was aney to
inslave our children for life when Born in a free Countrey. We therefor Bage
your Excellency and Honours will give this its deu weight and consideration and
that you will accordingly cause an act of the legislative to be pessed that we
may obtain our Natural right our freedoms and our children be set at lebety at
the yeare of Twenty one for whoues sekes more petequeley your Petitioners is in
Duty ever to Pray.