Article
Servile Discontents: Slavery and Resistance in Colonial New Hampshire, 1645–1785
Slavery & Abolition: A Journal of Slave and Post-Slave Studies
(2009)
Abstract
In the summer of 1748, authorities in colonial America issued a warrant for the arrest and imprisonment of a baker named Peter Johnson. Acting on these orders, the sheriff apprehended and detained Johnson ‘a negro man’ also known as Primus, for refusing to serve as the slave of George Massey. Massey claimed that he owned Johnson, swearing under oath that Johnson was a ‘slave for life’ and as such had no right to refuse to work for him. Having purchased Johnson for £43 from a man named Joseph Hicks, Massey argued that the slave's ‘stubborn and rebellious’ attitude was criminal. Johnson had to choose between submitting to Massey or remaining incarcerated until he could plead his case in court. He preferred the latter. Despite sworn affidavits and testimony to the contrary, Johnson maintained that he had never been a slave and was not obliged to submit to Massey or anyone else.
Keywords
- colonial America,
- slavery,
- Peter Johnson,
- George Massey
Disciplines
Publication Date
2009
DOI
10.1080/01440390903097997
Citation Information
Dinah Mayo-Bobee. "Servile Discontents: Slavery and Resistance in Colonial New Hampshire, 1645–1785" Slavery & Abolition: A Journal of Slave and Post-Slave Studies Vol. 30 Iss. 3 (2009) p. 339 - 360 ISSN: 1743-9523 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/dinah-mayo-bobee/24/