To Plead Our Own Cause: African Americans in Massachusetts and the Making of the Antislavery Movement

5. Massachusetts Blacks and the Growth of the Northern Antislavery Movement

84 to plead our own cause 5 Massachusetts Blacks and the Growth of the Northern Antislavery Movement even as they secured the abolition of the slave trade, African Americans in boston still had to wage a struggle against racial discrimination. indeed, the very law that abolished the slave trade in the state singled out blacks for “warning out.” the measure stated that no person being an African or negroe . . . or a citizen of some one of the United states; to be evidenced by a certificate from the secretary of the state of which he shall be a citizen, shall tarry within this commonwealth, for a longer time than two months, & upon complaint made to any Justice of the Peace within this commonwealth, that any such person has been within the same longer than two months, the said Justice shall order the said person to depart out of this commonwealth.1 if any such blacks did stay in massachusetts for longer than two months, they had to leave the state, and any who refused to do so faced jail time with hard labor. laws such as these reflected the fears of massachusetts residents, and northerners in general, that with the end of slavery blacks wouldbecomeaburdenonboththepublicrollsandthejailsystem.indeed, even before the General court passed this law, authorities in boston tried to get rid of blacks they deemed “strangers.” At the boston board of selectmen ’s meeting of 10 october 1781, “the clerk [was] directed to write the selectmen of ipswich acquainting them a negro boy named Jettero, born at ipswich but had lived some time with mr. dodge of Wenham, is now 84 Massachusetts Blacks and the Growth of the Northern Antislavery Movement 85 sick in our Alms house & that a considerable expense will accrue to the town of ipswich if he belongs there, unless soon removed to ipswich.”2 A little over a year later, “the selectmen upon application by several of the inhabitants, have determined to make choice of a suitable Person, to warn negros & others to depart the town.”3 city and state leaders demonstrated during the 1780s that with the end of slavery and the slave trade in massachusetts , they wanted the bay state to be as free of blacks as possible. For their part, many African Americans were determined to stay and carve out lives for themselves in massachusetts. despite efforts to get rid of blacks who they felt did not belong there, the selectmen were sometimes receptive to black petitions for certain municipal services. in February 1789, they noted that “application having been made the selectmen by a number of blacks, that they might have use of Faneuil Hall for once, to accommodate them in hearing an African preacher, lately arrived with a good recommendation—liberty was granted that they might have use of the Hall for an Afternoon.”4 this African preacher was likely John marrant, who arrived in boston that same month. the only restrictions the selectmen set were that services must be held during a weekday and around 3:00 p.m. to protect the blacks from hostile whites. Persistence paid off for black petitioners to the selectmen. in september 1789, African Americans asked for permission to have one of their own color bury their dead, likely because whites did not follow what they saw to be the correct burial practices. the board denied this petition, as well as one that came before them two years later, because “it was the opinion of the selectmen that the request could not be granted, as it would interfere with the present regulations & the duty of those sextons, to whom are committed the care of the several burial Places.”5 one year later boston’s blacks went before the selectmen once again. but the third time was apparently a charm, as the selectmen noted that “on the petition of the blacks that Henry richard stevenson, may have the care of burying the blacks—voted that the said stephenson have a license to take care of the Funerals of the blacks, in all respects except breaking Ground.”6 this would allow stevenson to prepare the bodies of the black deceased in accordance with African, West indian, and christian customs. As in the earlier efforts to attack slavery and the slave trade, the African masonic lodge took the lead in articulating the race consciousness and moral code that would assist blacks in their endeavor to gain equality, 86 to plead...