Although different economic conditions in combination with other factors made slavery in the North differ in some respects from the South, enslaved people in the North were considered to be property and were subject to abuse as well as involuntary servitude for others’ benefit. Family separation was common as enslavers purchased and sold individual men, women, and children. While escape through flight was the most obvious form of resistance, this 1771 legal complaint against “Caesar a Labourer & Servant” enslaved by Nathaniel Dickinson (1734-1788) of Deerfield, Massachusetts, suggests that resistance to slavery also took other forms.
Williams, Esq., John. Complaint against Caesar for stealing. December 2, 1771. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l00-073/. Accessed on April 7, 2025.
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