Prince Hall, et. al.: “Petition for freedom to the Massachusetts Council and the House of Representatives, [13] January 1777”

To the Honorable Counsel & House of [Representa-]

tives for the State of Massachusettes 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

Thay have in Common with all other men a Natural and

Unaliable Right to that freedom which the Grat [Great] –

Parent of the Unavese [Universe] hath Bestowed equalley on

all menkind [mankind] and which they have Never forfuted [forfeited] by

Any Compact or Agreement whatever — but thay [they] wher [were]

Unjustly Dragged by the hand of cruel Power from their

Derest frinds [friends] and sum of them Even torn from the

Embraces of their tender Parents — from A popolous [populous]

Plasant [Pleasant] And plentiful cuntry [country] And in Violation of

Laws of Nature and off Nations And in defiance of all

the tender feelings of humanity Brough [Brought] hear [here] 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 [honor] Need not

to be informed that A Life of Slavery Like that of your

Petioners Deprived of Every social Priviledge of Every

thing Requiset [Requisite] to Render Life Tolable [Tolerable] is far [ . . . ]

worse then [than] Nonexistance.

[In imita ]tion of [the] Lawdable [Laudable] Example of the Good

People of these States your petitioners 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 [Success]

hath ben [been] but too similar they Cannot but express their

Astonisments [Astonishments] that It has Never Bin [Been] Considered that Every

Principle from which America has Acted in the Cours [Course]

Of their unhappy Deficultes [Difficulties] with Great Briton Pleads

Stronger than A thousand arguments in favowrs [favors] of

Your petitioners thay [they] therfor [therefore] humble [humbly] 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 [Natural] Right of all men — and their —

Children who wher [were] Born in this Land of Liberty may

not be heald [held] as Slaves after they arive [arrive] at the age of

Twenty one years so may the Inhabitance [Inhabitants] 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.

_________________________ Source: Hall, P., Hill, L., Bess, P., Slener, B., Pierpont, J., Funelo, N., Sumner, N., & Lock, J. (1777, January 13). Petition for freedom to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives. Massachusetts Historical Society. https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=557