How many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence owned slaves? 41
|
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall George Walton |
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes John Penn Edward Rutledge Thomas Heyward Thomas Lynch, Jr Arthur Middleton |
John Hancock
Samuel Chase William Paca Thomas Stone Charles Carroll of Carrollton George Wythe Richard Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Harrison Thomas Nelson, Jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee Carter Braxton |
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush Benjamin Franklin John Morton George Clymer James Smith George Taylor James Wilson George Ross Caesar Rodney George Read Thomas McKean |
William Floyd
Philip Livingston Francis Lewis Lewis Morris Richard Stockton John Witherspoon Francis Hopkinson John Hart Abraham Clark |
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple Samuel Adams John Adams Robert Treat Paine Elbridge Gerry Stephen Hopkins William Ellery Roger Sherman Samuel Huntington William Williams Oliver Wolcott Matthew Thornton |
Signers in grey NEVER owned slaves. Signers in tan DID own slaves.
All research was done by the 8th Grade students at Chardon Middle School in Chardon, Ohio during October, 2014.
The students were surprised to find that the internet could not offer a satisfactory answer to an important question:
How many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence owned slaves?
Convinced that they could discover the answer and eager to contribute to world's knowledge, they became historians.
| SIGNER | SLAVES? | EVIDENCE #1 | EVIDENCE #2 |
| Adams, John | NO | In letters from 1819, 1820 and 1821, late in his life, John Adams and slavery views became more obvious as he condemned the practice as "an evil of colossal magnitude" and worried about the effect slavery would have on the nation in the future. For John Adams, slaves were human beings and fully deserved the rights ordained by God that all men were granted. http://johnadamsinfo.com/john-adams-and-slavery/89/#sthash.NmJ0dliy.dpuf | Did
John Adams own slaves? No, and not only because of his family's moderate
wealth. Adams was morally opposed to slavery and refused to employ slaves.
Source: Acsesed on 10/17/14 http://johnadamsinfo.com/john-adams-and-slavery/89/#sthash.07Qxp7S1.dpuf |
| Adams, Samuel | NO | "Sam Adams and Thomas Paine did not own slaves: Source accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.answers.com/Q/Which_Founding_Fathers_owned_slaves | “Another
patriot and firebrand, Sam Adams, said that "no slave shall live under
my roof," and freed the two he inherited from marrying his second
wife” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/14 http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/educational-resources/article-rise-and-fall-of-slave-trade-part2.shtml |
| Bartlett, Josiah | YES | “Some of the slaves who fought in the war never received their freedom, including Peter Bartlett, the slave of well known congressional delegate and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Josiah Bartlett. Source: accessed on 10/16/14. The First American Army: The Untold Story of George Washington and the Men behind America's First Fight for Freedom [Bruce Chadwick] on google books. | |
| Braxton, Carter | YES | “Braxton
acquired large amounts of land and numbers of slaves, and he both cultivated
and traded tobacco.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Braxton_Carter_1736-1797 |
“...owned
more than 12,000 acres and about 165 slaves during the 1770s and engaged in
large-scale tobacco planting…” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Braxton_Carter_1736-1797#start_entry |
| Carroll, Charles of Carrollton | YES | “It
was actually the employment of over three hundred slaves that caused Charles
Carroll more difficulty because he expressed personal discomfort at the
notion of human slavery.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/14 http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/charles-carroll-of-carrollton/ |
“At
the time of his death, he owned over two hundred slaves just on his
Doughoregan Manor plantation in Anne Arundel (now Howard) County,
Maryland.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/14 http://www.examiner.com/article/charles-carroll-of-carrollton-signer-of-the-declaration-of-independence-and-slaveowner |
| Chase, Samuel | YES | "Recieved L125.0.0 legact from his grandfather 1770. Property in Annapolis valued at L 969.13.4 including 5 slaves and 268 oz. plate. 1783. SOURCE: Accessed on 10/14/2014 http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/000200/000235/pdf/chasenotes.pdf | |
| Clark, Abraham | YES | “In
February, 1786 the Jersey legislature passed a bill sponsored by Clark for
“An Act to prevent the Importation of Slaves . . . , and to authorize the
Manumission of them under certain Restrictions and to prevent the Abuse of
Slaves.” Even though Clark owned three slaves, and did not provide for their
release until both he and Sarah died, this act was an important recognition
by the legislature and Clark, as Bogin noted, that “slavery involved ethical
considerations.”.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/abraham-clark/ |
“In
1786, before leaving the State Legislature, Clark, who was a slave-owner,
sponsored a bill titled “An Act to prevent the Importation of Slaves . . . ,
and to authorize the Manumission of them under certain Restrictions and to
prevent the Abuse of Slaves.” Though the bill passed, Clark’s slaves were
only freed upon his wife’s death in 1804.” SOURCE: Accessed on
10/16/2014 http://dansamericanrevolutionblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/biographical-sketches-of-signers-of.html |
| Clymer, George | NO | "Among
the expected glories of the Constitution, next to the abolition of Slavery
was that of Rum…” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.cotknorwalk.org/blog/FoundingFathers/2005/09/george-clymer-signer-of-declaration.html |
“Committee
Assignments: Committee of Assumption of State Debt, Committee of Slave
Trade.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/14 http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/convention/delegates/clymer.html |
| Elery, William | NO | “At
this time, he was a judge of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and made
strong efforts to have slavery in the United States abolished, supporting the
resolution made by Rufus King.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 http://boldhearts.com/william_ellery.htm |
During
this time William vocally advocated the abolition of slavery…Still, and
continuing on, the slavery was a sore spot and not one that Ellery was afraid
to affront…” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 http://www.slideshare.net/tanyaahogan/Tanya-Hogan-FFFINAL |
| Floyd, William | YES | “When
Floyd reached his 20th year, his father and mother died within 2 months of
each other, and he inherited their large estate on Long Island along with the
responsibility of caring for his brothers and sisters. Six years later he
married. His bride helped care for the family and assisted in managing the
farm, for which slaves supplied most of the labor.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.generalwilliamfloydhouse.org/patriot.html |
. |
| Franklin, Benjamin | YES | “Franklin
owned two slaves, George and King, who worked as personal servants, and his
newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, commonly ran notices involving the sale
or purchase of slaves and contracts for indentured laborers. “ Source: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_citizen_abolitionist.html |
“Franklin
did not publicly speak out against slavery until very late in his life. As a
young man he owned slaves, and he carried advertisements for the sale of
slaves in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.” Source: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/franklin/ |
| Gerry, Elbridge | NO | "Mr. Elbridge Gerry [MA] thought we had nothing to do with the conduct of the states as to slaves, but ought to be careful not to give any sanction to it." Accessed 10/16/2014 http://www.confederatepastpresent.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:debate-over-slavery-at-the-constitutional-convention-august-21-22-1787-&catid=41:the-gathering-storm | he
ultimately refused and rejected to sign the Constitution because it did not
include a bill of rights. SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/2014 http://constitution.laws.com/elbridge-gerry |
| Gwinnett,Button | YES | He
acquired slaves to work the plantation and build him a house. “ SOURCE:Accessed on On May 13, 2011 http://derrickjeter.com/2011/05/13/founding-fathers-friday-button-gwinnett/ |
The
Times presented an idyllic image of how “Mr. Keys arrives by plane to his own
landing strip and lives in Button Gwinnett’s remodeled house, putting his
guest in converted slave quarters.” Interestingly, the Keys never built a
landing strip and Button Gwinnett never lived in the house that bears his
name. Guests stayed in cabins built in the style of slave quarters.” SOURCE:Accessed on July 6, 2009 10:47 a.m. http://www.coastalcourier.com/archives/15071/ |
| Hall, Lyman | YES | “He
became the owner of a small plantation north of the Midway Meeting House on
the Savannah-Darien highway.” Source. Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/lyman-hall/ |
"for he then purchased a fine plantation on the Savannah River, not far from Shell Bluff, and furnished it with a considerable number of negro slaves, and all animals, implements, and provisions requisite for its proper cultivation." Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~galiber3/bios/hall2.html |
| Hancock,
John |
YES | Hancock's
family lived comfortably, but only owned one slave to help around the house.
John was sent to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his father
in 1744. http://www.revolutionary-war.net/john-hancock.html |
His
father was a reverend who made a comfortable living; the family even owned
one slave. http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/john-hancock-facts-biography-history.html#lesson |
| Harrison,
Benjamin |
YES | “I
also give to my dear Wife the use of all my tract of land whereon I now live
called Berkley, with all the Slaves thereon” Said Benjamin Harrison in his
will. SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://frostandgilchrist.com/getperson.php?personID=I16155&tree=frostinaz01 |
“I
give unto my son Benjamin and his heirs forever all the negroes he has of
mine in his possession at Hard Labor”Benjamin also said this in his
will. SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://frostandgilchrist.com/getperson.php?personID=I16155&tree=frostinaz01 |
| Hart, John
|
YES | “On
his prosperous plantation Hart had many cattle, sheep, swine, horses and
fowl, and he also owned four slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/john-hart |
“On his prosperous plantation Hart had many cattle, sheep, swine, horses and fowl, and he also owned four slaves.” |
| Hewes, Joseph | YES | “While
Hewes was raised as Quaker, he was indeed also a slave owner and a supporter
of slavery.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/15/14 http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2011/07/joseph-hewes-first-secretary-of-the-navy-and-signer-of-the-declaration-of-independence/ |
“A
1779 inventory signed by Hewes, as well as a 1780 newspaper account of his
estate sale, both indicate that Hewes owned slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/15/14 http://www.hollandlodge.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014_09_The_Holland_Herald.pdf |
| Heyward, Thomas Jr. | YES | “During
his absence, he suffered greatly in respect to his property; his plantation
being much injured by a party of marauders, and all his slaves seized and
carried away. Some of his slaves were afterwards reclaimed; but one hundred
and thirty were finally lost, being transported, as was supposed, for the
benefit of the sugar planters on the island of Jamaica.” http://colonialhall.com/heyward/heyward.php |
“Also
during this time he suffered greatly in respect to his property; the British
injured his plantations and a band of marauders, his slaves seized and
carried away, some of which were afterwards recovered.” http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/thomas-heyward-jr/ |
| Hooper, William | YES | The
decision--which side to support -had no neat and simple answer.When the
Britsh evacuted Wilimington in November 1781.Willam Hoopers slaves acted in
different ways. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editons/nchist-revolution /1917 |
. |
| Hopkins, Stephen | YES | “In
a clear statement on the morality of slavery, Rhode Island’s Stephen Hopkins
manumits his slave, Saint Jago Hopkins, because slavery is a violation of
God’s will. Rhode Island would not abolish slavery through gradual
emancipation until 1784..” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 https://www.sethkaller.com/view-item.php?id=807 |
“In
1772, Hopkins was again elected to the general assembly. He freed his slaves
in 1773 and the following year he sponsored a bill that prohibited the
importation of slaves into the colony.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://virtualology.com/StephenHopkins.com/ |
| Hopkinson, Francis | YES | “Like
a number of the other signers, Hopkinson was also a slaveholder.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/17/2014 http://hsp.org/blogs/history-hits/francis-hopkinson-and-the-constitution |
“This
is a list of 167 slaves from General Francis Hopkins” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/14 http://www.glynngen.com/slaverec/hopkins_F.htm |
| Huntington, Samuel | No | “Huntington
also was a proponent of abolishing slavery.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_connecticut/col2-content/main-content-list/title_huntington_samuel.html |
“I
am this day honoured with your letter of the 12th. of January, accompanied
with a number of Copies of the Constitution of the Pennsylvania Society for
promoting the abolition of Slavery, and the relief of free Negroes unlawfully
held in bondage; and the laws of Pensylvania which related to one of the
Objects of their Constitution, as also a Copy of Thomas Clarksons excellent
Essay upon the Commerce and Slavery of the Africans; which several Pamphlets
I receive with pleasure and request You to accept my grateful Acknowledgments
for the same.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/14/2014 http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp?vol=45&page=497 |
| Jefferson, Thomas | YES | “A
new portrait of the founding father challenges the long-held perception of
Thomas Jefferson as a benevolent slaveholder” http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-dark-side-of-thomas-jefferson-35976004/?no-ist |
“Jefferson
drafted the Declaration of Independence, wrote the Virginia Statute for
Religious Freedom, and founded the University of Virginia. Yet, over the
course of his life, Jefferson owned 600 people.” http://www.monticello.org/slavery-at-monticello |
| Lee, Francis Lightfoot | YES | “The
year 1750 was painful for Francis and his younger siblings while their older
brothers were still in England: Both parents died that year when Francis
turned 16. The children inherited a combination of land, money, slaves and
company stock for land speculation in the Ohio River valley.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/2014 http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/francis-lightfoot-lee/ |
“Lee
was a signer of the Declaration of the Independence, a slaveholder, and a
leading figure in the Virginia gentry at the time of the Revolution.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/2014 http://railroads.unl.edu/blog/?p=412 |
| Lee, Richard Henry | YES | “As a young adult, Richard Henry Lee decided to rent out many of his inherited slaves as well as his inherited lands hoping to support his family on the proceeds while devoting his professional efforts to politics.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:B5y60xcFEjcJ:theforgottenfounders.com/the-forgotten-fathers/richard-henry-lee/+did+richard+henry+lee+own+slaves&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us |
“Richard
Henry Lee, Virginia, owned slaves but sought to end the slave trade and
considered slavery to be evil.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/2014 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FmzKse2_WKIJ:www.thehypertexts.com/Slavery%2520and%2520the%2520Second%2520Amendment%2520Slave%2520Patrol%2520Militias.htm+&cd=19&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us |
| Lewis, Francis | YES | “From
other passages in the book, we know that Francis Lewis definitely did own
enslaved Africans.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/14 (page 67, paragraph 6) http://books.google.com/books?id=FPu_UBY0pjYC&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=did+francis+lewis+own+slaves&source=bl&ots=n4XraT3BMk&sig=Zse_MaXBDU5uwhhuCN5fMWjyrg8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Je5CVJiQLYK6ggTh34HoAQ&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false |
They
also owned slaves, and in The City of Alexandria, several manumitted slaves
gave Charles Lewis name as their former owner.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/18/14 http://richmondthenandnow.com/Charles-and-Ambrose-Lewis.html |
| Livingston, Philip | YES | “When Robert died, Philip Livingston inherited six of the twelve slaves listed in his father's will (9).” SOURCE: Accesed on 10/16/14 http://www.yaleslavery.org/Endowments/e1prof.html |
“Philip
Livingston, slave trader and slave owner.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://inaaronsopinion.blogspot.com/2005/12/george-bushs-slave-trading-kin-nyc.html |
| Lynch Jr. , Thomas | YES | My
kinsman who signed as “Thomas Lynch Jr” owned slaves and a plantation as
well. He did not free his slaves afterwards. |
“Thomas
Lynch Jr owned slaves and a plantation as well. He did not free his slaves
afterwards”. Source accessed on 10/15/2014 http://mariannsregan.com/slaveholders-among-the-founders-part-3-of-3/ |
| McKean, Thomas | NO | “He augmented the rights of defendants and sought penal reform, but on the other hand was slow to recognize expansion of the legal rights of women and the process in the state’s gradual elimination of slavery.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-274 | http://prezi.com/x9odfsqgjoix/copy-of-thomas-mckean/ “Thomas Mckean was born in 1734 in Delaware, and he died in 1817 at the age of 83 and did not own slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/14 |
| Middleton,
Arthur |
YES | “Arthur's
plantation had begun to make money. By 1720, his estate consisted of over
5000 acres and he owned over 100 slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/12014 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p282.html |
“By
1720, the estate consisted of over 5,000 acres and Middleton owned over 100
slaves” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Middleton_(1681%E2%80%931737) |
| Morris,
Lewis |
YES | “With the uncles death in 1691, Lewis Morris, at the age of twenty, inherited the New York and New Jersey estates, a major interest in mills and iron works, sixty-six slaves, and extensive personal properties.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1919535?uid=3739760&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21104857957857 | “Soon
after, more than a thousand acres of woodland, all located on navigable
water, were burned, his house was ransacked, his family driven away, his
livestock captured, his domestics and tenants dispersed, and the entire
property laid waste and ruined.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/14 http://virtualology.com/virtualmuseumofhistory/hallofusa/declarationofindependence/LewisMorris.com/ |
| Morris, Robert | YES | “Morris
did own slaves eight generations ago, as did Benjamin Franklin and other
prominent Philadelphians. Robert Morris and Thomas Willing also "engaged
in the slave trade" as a side business to their shipping and property
investments, said Morris, a software consultant.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/news/inq061205.htm |
“He
owned slaves that worked as servants in his home.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://kids.laws.com/robert-morris |
| Morton, John | YES | Chart SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/14 http://library.uncg.edu/slavery/petitions/owship-byowner.aspx?pID=94829&s=2 |
¨Speaker
Isaac Norris was a slaveowner, as were Chester County Legistlators, John
Morton, Joshua Ash, Joseph Gibbons, and Isaac Wayne.¨ SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 |
| Nelson,
Thomas Jr. |
YES | “Thomas
Nelson, Jr., a rich planter-merchant who at one time owned more than 400
slaves, was one of the most active of the Virginia patriots.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Thomas_Nelson.html |
“When
Thomas Nelson’s father died, Thomas received 20,000 acres of land and over
400 slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/15/14 http://kids.laws.com/thomas-nelson |
| Paca, William | YES | “
William B. Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Maryland
governor. Juliana and her husband lived on Wye Island in Queen Anne's County,
where she had inherited the Wye Plantation. John also inherited Wye Hall from
his father, who had owned the other half of the island. The census recorded
117 slaves on their Wye Island property in 1800, and 100 slaves in 1810.”
SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5400/sc5496/029900/029983/html/029983bio.html |
“Census:
Wm. Paca, head of household 1790, Queen Anns County, MD; 2 males over 16 and
92 slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/h/i/l/Garrick-D-Hill/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0200.htm |
| Paine, Robert Treat | NO | According
to the “Slaveholders among prominent Founding Fathers” chart found on
britannica.com, Robert Treat Paine was a non-slaveholder. SOURCE: Accessed on 10/15/2014 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1269536/The-Founding-Fathers-and-Slavery |
“Just
a few weeks later on April 14, 1775 the first anti-slavery society in America
was formed in Philadelphia. Paine was a founding member.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/15/2014 http://www.constitution.org/tp/afri.htm |
| Penn, John | YES | “One
son of a 'servant' named, Virgil, was sold in 1733 (16 years after William
Penn's death) to Thomas Penn by Joseph Warder thus providing evidence that
the Penn family had never given up the ownership of slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~rstephen/livingeaston/local_history/Penn/Penn_family_part_1.html |
“There
have been claims that he also fought slavery, but that seems unlikely, as he
owned and even traded slaves himself and his writings do not support that
idea.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Penn This states that John Penn’s dad trades slaves against what the Quakers had thought at the time, influencing John. |
| Read, George | YES | “State:
Delaware (Born in Maryland) Age at Convention: 53 Date of Birth: September 18, 1733 Date of Death: September 21, 1798 Schooling: Religious Academy Occupation: Lawyer, Public Security Interests, Lending and Investments, Planter and Slave holder” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/convention/delegates/read.html |
“Of
the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 49% owned slaves.” George
Read was one of these delegates. SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 http://www.quora.com/How-many-of-Americas-founding-fathers-were-slave-owners |
| Rodney, Caesar | YES | Caesar Rodney was a slaveholder of about 200 slaves on a plantation of about 1,000 acres. 14 year after his death his slaves were freed | Byfield, Caesar Rodney’s, 800-acre prosperous farm was worked by slaves. With the addition of other adjacent properties, the Rodneys were, by the standards of the day, wealthy members of the local people. |
| Ross, George | NO | “That year he also undertook negotiations with the Northwestern Indians on behalf of his colony, and took a seat as vice-president of the first constitutional convention for Pennsylvania.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/ross.htm |
"Quaker opposition to slavery and the concept of individual liberty that grew out of the colonies’ crisis with Great Britain inspired the foundation of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society (PAS) in 1775…By 1820, only 200 slaves remained in the state, but those black Pennsylvanians who were now indentured servants still did not enjoy complete freedom throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://pacivilwar150.com/Understand/SlaveryandFreedom |
| Rush, Benjamin | YES | “Though
still a slave owner himself, Rush decided to dedicate himself to the cause of
his "black brethren." SOURCE Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p458.html |
“Though
still a slave owner himself, in 1788, he also promised freedom to his slave,
William Grubber.” SOURCE Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Benjamin_Rush |
| Rutledge, Edward | YES | “He became a leading citizen of Charleston, and owned more than 50 slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Edward_Rutledge |
“Edward
had started a law firm with Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. The firm had taken
off and made the two men very successful. It wasn't long before Rutledge was
one of the leading citizens in Charleston, and owned quite a bit of land and
almost 50 slaves.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/15/2014 http://www.revolutionary-war.net/edward-rutledge.html |
| Sherman, Roger | NO | “Mr.
Roger Sherman [CT] was for leaving the clause as it stands. He disapproved of
the slave trade; yet, as the states were now possessed of the right to import
slaves, as the public good did not require it to be taken from them, and as
it was expedient to have as few objections as possible to the proposed scheme
of government, he thought it best to leave the matter as we find it.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.confederatepastpresent.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:debate-over-slavery-at-the-constitutional-convention-august-21-22-1787-&catid=41:the-gathering-storm |
“He
also became involved in the anti-slavery movement, and in one of his early
cases defended a runaway slave owned by Henry Clay.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/tu_amistad_bio_baldwin.html |
| Smith, James | NO | "I would suggest that there were numerous, and not simply one signers who never own slaves. Must be included John Adams and James Smith of Pennsylvania." Source: http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-high-s&month=0309&week=b&msg=E5uCV1zGiWW3IKFaJYTu2w&user=&pw= | . |
| Stockton, Richard | YES | He was also a slave owner who didn’t free his slaves, in spite of being the father-in-law of Benjamin Rush, one of the most prominent anti-slavery advocates of the revolutionary era. http://stocktonat40.blogspot.com/2010/02/that-which-we-call-stockton-by-any.html accesed on 10/16/2014 | Richard
Stockton of the Class of 1779, a trustee from 1791 to 1828 and the first
citizen of Princeton, reputedly owned several slaves, freeing one in 1823
(Princetonians: 1776-1783) http://www.princeton.edu/mudd/news/faq/topics/slavery.shtml accesed on 10/16/2014 |
| Stone, Thomas | YES | “Stone's
original plan was to build a small, modest home for him, his wife, and their
two daughters but before the house was completed, his father died and five of
his younger brothers and sisters came to live with him at Haberdeventure
creating the need for larger living quarters. During the 1780s, the
Haberdeventure slave plantation probably supported about 25 to 35 people
including a number of slaves.” Source: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Stone_National_Historic_Site |
“It
is likely that the Haberdeventure plantation supported a community of 25 to
35 people during Thomas Stone's ownership, including slaves and Stone's
extended family.” Source Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://somd.com/links/culture/historic-sites/thomas-stone-national-historic-site-1500.php |
| Taylor, George | YES | “George
Taylor died in February 1781, His estate included two slaves, Tom, who was
sold for 280 bushels of wheat…” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/george-taylor/ |
“This
little house soon became his world. Here, with his two slaves Tom and Sam,
Taylor lived out the last year of his life.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/19/2014 http://articles.mcall.com/1984-07-15/news/2436116_1_george-taylor-iron-furnace/3 |
| Thornton, Matthew | NO | "Two signers of the Declaration of Independence, George Taylor of Pennsylvania and Matthew Thornton of New Hampshire had been white servants. Accessed 10/16/2014. http://books.google.com/books?id=FwhqKQbUn9cC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=Signer+Matthew+Thornton+on+slavery&source=bl&ots=dIFELew-jj&sig=qQWCqDYet48XQU3MQWNbvX0_ZpE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=831JVLXUOYKNyATR5YGoAQ&ved=0CFIQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Signer%20Matthew%20Thornton%20on%20slavery&f=false | . |
| Walton, George | NO | To discourage the English class society, strict rules required every man to work his own land: no slavery, no large grants of land, no rum. http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/george-walton/ |
“George
Walton played a leading role not only in the movement to persuade Friends to free their slaves but also in the confrontation.” Source: Accessed on 100/16/14 file:///home/chronos/u-83bff9799b28be0e6a053d3211e6951887297ba3/Downloads/upso_Search_Results%20(1).pdf |
| Whipple, William | YES | “William
Whipple was a slave owner. He married Catherine Moffatt and they lived in her
father's mansion on the river in downtown Portsmouth, today one of the city's
surviving historic houses. The slave quarters, where Prince, his cousin (or
brother) Cuffy, and others most likely lived, can still be seen today.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://esperstamps.org/aa10.htm |
"General
Whipple was attended on this expedition by a valuable negro servant named
Prince, whom he had imported from Africa many years before.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/15/14 http://www.whipple.org/william/declaration.html#Prince |
| Williams,
William |
NO | *****
Upon arriving at congress, he was too late to vote for independence, but he
did get a chance to sign the Declaration of Independence. He continued to
serve on different committees until the end of the war. SOURCE:Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.revolutionary-war.net/william-williams.html |
A
man of naturally ardent temper, he threw himself vehemently into the struggle
for independence, wielding a vigorous pen and drawing generously on his purse
in support of military activities. During a great part of the Revolutionary
War he was a member of the council of safety, and expended nearly all his
property in the patriot cause. He abandoned his business and went from house
to house soliciting private donations to supply the army. Williams also made
frequent speeches to induce a larger enlistment. Throughout the war, his
house was open to the soldiers in their marches to and from the army, and in
1781 he gave up his dwelling to the officers of a detachment that was
stationed for the winter in Lebanon. SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://virtualology.com/WilliamWilliams.com/ |
| Wilson, James | NO | “Slavery,
or an absolute and unlimited power in the master over the life and fortune of
the slave, is unauthorized by the common law . . . . The reasons which we
sometimes see assigned for the origins and the continuance of slavery appear
when examined to the bottom to be built upon a false foundation. In the
enjoyment of their persons and of their property, the common law protects
all. ” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://westillholdthesetruths.org/quotes/author/james-wilson |
“He
argued that the slave trade clause would in fact allow for the end of slavery
itself. In speeches he made the subtle shift from the "trade" to
slavery, and since most of his listeners were not as legally sophisticated as
Wilson, he was able to fudge the issue. Thus, Wilson told the Pennsylvania
ratifying convention that after ‘the lapse of a few years... Congress will
have power to exterminate slavery from within our borders.’” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://abolition.nypl.org/essays/us_constitution/3/ |
| Witherspoon, John | YES | “Witherspoon
was a slave owner. At the time of his death in 1794, his estate included two slaves,” Source accessed on 10/15/2014 http://people.hofstra.edu/alan_j_singer/docket/docket/11.1.17_John_Witherspoon_Preacher_and_Patriot_by_Raymond_Frey.pdf |
“
John Witherspoon, president of the College of New Jersey from 1768-1794,
owned slaves. Indeed, Varnum Lansing Collins notes that the inventory of
Witherspoon's possessions taken at his death included "two slaves . .
“ source Accessed on 10/15/2014 http://libguides.princeton.edu/c.php?g=84056&p=544524 |
| Wolcott, Oliver | YES | “
Oliver Wolcott, the Connecticut born Secretary of the Treasury, wrote to his
wife that this palace "cannot be kept in tolerable order without a
regiment of servants." Source: Accessed on 10-16-14 http://bobarnebeck.com/slavespt5.html |
“The
following is a letter freeing his slave: Deed of Emancipation… And that my
said servant, whom I now make free as aforesaid, may be known here-after by a
proper cognomen, I hereby give him the name of Jamus.” Source: Accessed on 10-18-14 http://wolcottmilitarymen.blogspot.com/2011/08/oliver-wolcott-1726-1797.html |
| Wythe, George | YES | “A
young member of his family, on discovering that Wythe had conditionally
willed part of the family property to his slaves, decided to enlarge his own
share by poisoning them with arsenic.” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/2014 http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/wythe.htm |
“Freeing
his own slaves earlier at “Chesterville,” Wythe wrote this opinion on a
slavery dispute in 1806, “….freedom is the birthright of every human
being….” SOURCE: Accessed on 10/16/14 http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/george-wythe/ |