Slavery and New Hampshire

Paper Summary:

The slave presence in the United States began shortly after the arrival of the Europeans, with most slaves brought chiefly from Africa. Indeed, the rapid growth of industry and society in this nation, as elsewhere in the New World, was largely dependent on the use and abuse of slave labor. In the United States, there is a stereotype that, while the South encouraged slavery, the North was somehow blameless and called only for humanitarian treatment. The paper argues, however, that such a belief is incorrect, as Northern cities such as Newport, Rhode Island, flourished because of the slave trade. As in all the American colonies, slavery was practiced in New Hampshire. This paper explores the history and conditions of slaves in the colony, and later the state, of New Hampshire.

From the Paper:

"A crucial moment for the Negro court occurred in 1779 when they, along with other slaves, submitted a petition to the New Hampshire legislature calling for the release of slaves and the abolition of slavery. Prince Whipple, one of the few slaves remembered by name in the annals of Portsmouth, New Hampshire history, was instrumental in this valiant act. These slaves "appealed to the lawmakers' religious, moral and political sense of justice, but no legislative action was taken on the petition" The petition appeared in a local newspaper, cruelly accompanied by an editorial claiming that it was for the readers' amusement. Despite this attitude, some readers wisely believed that the petition indicated that slavery could not continue much longer, at least in New Hampshire."

More papers on Slavery and New Hampshire:

• Analytical Essay # 136354 : "Freedom and Slavery in America"
• Term Paper # 122337 : "Slavery and the American Civil War"
• Term Paper # 73026 : "Slavery and Democracy"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: