American Centuries

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Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > Lessons About African Americans > Petitioning Freedom

Petitioning Freedom

Details

Author
Deerfield Teachers' Center
Topic/Subject Area
African American, Black Life; Slavery, Indenture
Historical Era
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
Grade Level
Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12)
Creation Date
2017
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that enslaved Africans in Massachusetts petitioned unsuccessfully for freedom when the American colonies declared independence from Britain. They will understand that these Black petitioners were familiar with and inspired by the Declaration of Independence. Students should have some prior knowledge of the Declaration of Independence.

Materials & Resources

Web pages

Teaching Plan

  1. Review the Declaration of Independence. Discuss:
    • To whom is this document addressed?
    • Find examples of strong language.
    • What are the reasons put forth for declaring independence?
  2. While the Declaration of Independence was being composed, enslaved people in Massachusetts were seeking freedom. Some of their options included running away, manumission, and legal petition. Read the Petition for freedom. Discuss:
    • What is this document about? What are the petitioners asking for?
    • Who wrote it and what was his status? Do you think this was important? Why or why not?
    • To whom is it written?
    • What is the tone of the language in this document? For example, is the writer demanding, declaring, or something else? Compare the language of the petition to the language in the Declaration. Why might it not be as strong?
    • What are the arguments put forth?
    • Were the petitioners successful? Why or why not?
    • Read Petition for freedom to Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson. This document, upon which the 1777 petition was probably based, predated the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolutionary War!
  3. Do you think that Thomas Jefferson and the signers of the Declaration of Independence could have anticipated the influence it would have on Black people in Massachusetts?

Possible Answers to Discussion Questions

Lesson Extension Ideas
  1. Learn about how and why slavery ended in Massachusetts and think about why it persisted elsewhere in the United States.
  2. Read Frederick Douglass’s Independence Day Speech at Rochester, 1852, and discuss his opinion of the Declaration of Independence and the ideas therein. The speech can be found at Frederick Douglass: The Hypocrisy of American Slavery.