The New York State Archives Partnership Trust will host “Risk-Takers and Change-Makers,” an online conversation looking at the men and women whose efforts empowered the abolitionist cause and laid the foundation for today’s civil rights movement in the United States, set for Tuesday, February 1st. [Read more…] about Abolition, Civil Rights Talk With Underground RR Experts Mary Liz and Paul Stewart
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The Lemmon Slave Case: A Defense of New York State Abolition
Lemmon v. New York, or Lemmon v. The People (1860) was a freedom suit begun in 1852 with a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The case brought up questions about the legality of slavery within the United States , especially challenging the slavery laws between the northern and southern states.
While relocating to Texas by way of New York State, Virginia enslavers Jonathan and Juliet Lemmon brought to the city of New York eight enslaved people. They made up two family groups, each headed by a young woman: the first was Emiline (age 23), Edward (age 13), brother of Emiline; and Amanda (age 2), daughter of Emiline. The second was Nancy (age 20); Lewis (age 16), brother of Nancy; Lewis and Edward (age 7), sons of Nancy; and Ann (age 5), daughter of Nancy.
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