Using Petitions to Teach Slavery

Abstract

For many years, the historical experience of slavery has occupied a unique niche in the minds of Americans. For some, the presence of enslaved Africans, while unfortunate, did not necessarily mean that American democracy was flawed (after all, they argued, American slavery was not all that bad). Others were repulsed by the institution and labeled the United States Constitution an immoral document for protecting the horrors of slavery. Regardless of their view, many Americans turned to the words and experiences of slaves themselves to support their arguments. Comments Reprinted from Magazine of History, Volume 17, Issue 3, April 2003, pages 44-50. Publisher URL: http://www.oah.org/ NOTE: At the time of publication, author Damon Freeman was affiliated with Indiana University. Currently December 2006, he is a faculty member of the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/spp_papers/30 OAH MAGAZINE OF HISTORY • APRIL 2003 Copyright © 2003 Organization of American Historians (OAH). Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF file from the Organization of American Historians (www.oah.org) are copyrighted by the Organization of American Historians. Unauthorized distribution, posting, or copying is strictly prohibited without written permission of the OAH. COLONIAL SLAVERY 3 Exploring Slavery’s Roots in Colonial America Ira Berlin 5 Recent Literature on Slavery in Colonial North America Donald R. Wright 11 The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Colonial Chesapeake Slavery Lorena S. Walsh 17 Slavery in the North Shane White 23 Slavery in the Lower South Jane Landers 28 “Amazing Grace”: Literature as a Window on Colonial Slavery James G. Basker 31 Complicating Slavery: Teaching with Runaway Slave Advertisements from Northern Colonies Matthew Mason and Rita G. Koman 35 Virginia’s Black Codes: Uncovering the Evolution of Legal Slavery Gary Hart 37 The Code Noir: Construction of Slavery in French Colonial Louisiana Kevin Arlyck 41 Using Primary Source Documents: African Americans in the Revolutionary War Steven Mintz 44 Using Petitions to Teach Slavery Damon Freeman 52 The Survey, Again Julie Roy Jeffrey 55 The Transatlantic Slave Trade and American Slavery Ellen Bucy