‘Thousands Now Unhappy’: Slave Petitions in Eighteenth-Century Connecticut

Abstract

ABSTRACT Between 1774 and 1788, Connecticut slaves produced five petitions calling for the abolition of slavery. Although these are some of the earliest attempts at collective petitioning by enslaved people in New England, these petitions have received far less scholarly attention than the preceding Massachusetts slave petitions. This article presents a detailed analysis of these petitions, outlining the production of each petition and the networks which helped to facilitate them. It then moves into a deeper analysis of the central themes including claims and rhetorical strategies and the role that the Revolution played in these petitions. Undertaking this close examination reveals both how they overlapped and diverged within the wider context of slave petitioning efforts and integrates the experience of Connecticut slaves within this wider history of slave petitioning.