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Aspects of Emancipation: Quakers, War, and Runaways in Westchester County

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This talk will examine three iterations of the effort by enslaved people to gain their freedom in 1700s Westchester County. Quakers in the eastern part of the county were under pressure from Quakers meetings north of them and from their own consciences as a steady stream of Freedom seekers moved through the area. The Philipsburg Proclamation during the Revolutionary War both put pressure on Patriot slaveowners and gave new incentive to enslaved men to break out of their bonds and join the British war effort. And throughout the entire 18th century, scores of enslaved men, women and children took the momentous step to free themselves. These “aspects of emancipation” shed light on the risks and opportunities facing enslaved people during this period.

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