Bury the Chains; Chapter 7

Summary:
Even before the first meeting of the printing shop committee took place in 1787, the first emancipation had already come into effect. In an effort to suppress the rebel movement in the United States, the British promised freedom to any American slave whom had deserted his master. The slave was to fight for the British in the army. The major problem with this British promise was what would happen once the war ended. Laurens, outraged at the promise given to the slaves, made a personal effort to recapture slaves in South Carolina. After being imprisoned in the Tower of London, his bail was posted Richard Oswald. After his release and joining with Ben Franklin's peace negotiators, it was agreed that the "British troops should carry off no negroes or other American property" (101). The biggest concern was American slave owners recapturing some of the 3,000 slaves that were living in New York City. When General Sir Guy Carlton went against George Washington's wish and allowed the freed slaves to continue to be free, Washington was deeply offended at the gesture. Even though Carlton was a known slave owner, his sense of honor caused him to side with the freed slaves that the British had made a promise to. Since the slaves were freed by the British, this "stolen property" would later be compensated once Washington became president for half of their original market value. Of the thousands of ex-slaves living in New York City, one of them named Boston King described life for these people. While sometimes slave owners from southern states would return to the city in search for their escaped slaves, women and children were ripped out of bed and forced back into the life they thought they had escaped forever. In an effort to keep these ex-slaves free from dishonorable slave owners, Carleton took it upon himself to find a safe alternative for them. He took three thousand slaves on ships to the closest British territory, Nova Scotia. This territory had quickly become the largest community of freed blacks in any British Territory in America.

Comments:
While Carleton was once a slave owner himself, I think his efforts in standing up to George Washington were honorable. His recognition of the freedom that the British had granted these men was one that took a great deal of courage at a time where Americans were still unsure of these new inhabitants living in New York City. Carleton was able to recognize early on that the effects of slavery were still in fact prevalent in American culture. Just letting newly freed blacks fend for themselves in their new living conditions was unreasonable and unjust. The obsession George Washington had with returning the ex-slaves to their original owners was of passion and anger. While i had known prior that George Washington was in fact a slave owner, i had never learned of his inability to honor ex-slaves freedom.