Historical Research Library
Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.
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Phillis Wheatley’s Poem on Tyranny and Slavery, 1772
An eloquent condemnation of oppression and slavery, written for the British secretary of state for the colonies, showcasing Wheatley’s literary talent, and advocacy for freedom
Key Document
The Farmer Refuted, 1775
A defense of American colonial rights against British tyranny secretly written by Alexander Hamilton—fueling revolutionary sentiment
Key Document
Thomas Jefferson on Manumitting Slaves, 1789
Letter sent from Paris reflecting on freeing slaves—revealing his conflicting beliefs on liberty and equality amid the revolution
Supporting Document
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789
Autobiography detailing Olaudah Equiano’s enslavement, his journey to freedom, and fight against the slave trade
Key Document
The Petition of the People of Colour of the State [of South Carolina],” April 30, 1794
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries a very small percentage of the Black population in South Carolina was not enslaved. They could not vote, did not have access to the same legal rights as White people, and were subject to special taxes, among other abuses. This petition sought to address and have rescinded one of those abuses, a poll tax aimed at free Black people.
Supporting Document