Processed by
Wilma L. Moore
July 1, 2008
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
1 item |
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COLLECTION |
1822 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Midland Rare Book Company, 1951 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
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ACCESSION |
1951.0117 |
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NOTES: |
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The laws of Kentucky during the late 18th century
placed limitations on the mobility of enslaved people of color. A 1798 slave
code required that slaves have passes if they were further than ten miles from
their living quarters for more than four hours. These passes were to be signed
by a person of authority, such as an owner or his family member or an overseer.
Severe penalties were imposed for slave movement outside legislated or implied
boundaries. As time passed, local ordinances were enacted to address specific
concerns including slave mobility, assembling in small or large groups, missing
curfew, and being in the named town outside the prescribed days or times that
had been decreed.
During the first quarter of the 19th century, it became apparent to Kentucky legislators that they had to look beyond state lines to help secure slavery within
their state. The first line of defense outside their state borders became the neighboring
states—to which enslaved people often fled. In 1822, Secretary of State Joseph
C. Breckinridge, under the auspices of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth
of Kentucky signed a resolution that authorized a request to be sent to the
governors of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to appoint commissioners to discuss
the implication of slavery within the geographical boundaries of their four
states. The resolution also authorized the Kentucky governor to appoint two “fit
persons” to represent the state once he had been informed that one or more of
the other governors had appointed representatives.
Sources: Material in the collection.
Marion B. Lucas, A History of Blacks in Kentucky, Volume I (From Slavery to Segregation, 1760–1891). Frankfort: Kentucky Historical Society, 1992.
The collection is composed of one item. It is a two-page signed document completed in iron gall ink, and it contains an embossed seal. Adopted by the Kentucky legislature and signed and sealed by Secretary of State, J. Cabell Breckinridge, the 1822 resolution states its purpose is “preservation of harmony between this state and the adjoining non-slavery states.” More specifically, the resolution contains three parts: the issue and a two-part course of action. The document identifies a concern for the increased number of escaped slaves found in nearby states. The major action steps included: 1.) Ask governors of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to appoint two commissioners to meet with Kentucky representatives—bringing copies of all their state laws that affect the rights, interests, and duties that pertain to slaves, free people of color, and slaveholders. The proposed outcome was that the body would agree upon policies that would well serve the citizens of their respective states. 2.) Authorize the Kentucky governor to appoint two “fit persons” to represent the state at the meeting.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Kentucky Resolution, 1822 |
Folder 1 |
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