“Ingenious Epitaph” a poem from Greenfield Gazette newspaper

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

John Jack, an enslaved man, died in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1773, but in 1796, more than 20 years after his death, his epitaph appeared in a Greenfield, Massachusetts, newspaper. Why might this be? The turn of the 18th into the 19th century was a time of social reform when some were rethinking whether the promises of the American Revolution- especially liberty and equality for all, had been realized. The epitaph’s emphasis on enslaved people and kings being on an equal plane in the eyes of God must have had renewed resonance.

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Details

Item typeArticle
PublisherGreenfield Gazette
Date1796-09-22
PlaceMassachusetts
TopicArt, Music, Literature, Crafts
Slavery, Indenture
EraThe New Nation, 1784–1815
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 6.00 in Width: 3.50 in
Catalog #L12.005
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Greenfield Gazette. “Ingenious Epitaph.” September 22, 1796. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l12-005/. Accessed on February 7, 2025.

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