- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
Ellery, William, Draft of Editorial Regarding his Views on Slavery and the Consequences of Emancipation, circa 1817
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Scope and Contents
Consists of a heavily revised, four-page manuscript draft of an editorial by William Ellery (1727-1820), signed "A Friend to Man." Although undated, the draft is probably dated about 1817 and was likely written in response to the foundation of the American Colonization Society in 1816. Ellery, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of Congress from 1776 to 1786, came to favor the gradual emancipation of enslaved people. In the editorial, Ellery argues against a "sudden general emancipation" in the United States and the Caribbean, proposing that labor crises would ensue and have negative affects on both black and white Americans. Ellery also writes that he is not opposed to the resettlement of formerly enslaved African Americans in Africa, but expresses doubts about the economic viability of this plan. The draft ends with a discussion of old biblical justifications for slavery and a list of biblical quotations relating to bondage and the "curse of Canaan."
- Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by the name of the creator or by the date of acquisition.
Collection History
- Acquisition:
AM 2013-59
Purchased in January 2013 .
This accession was separated from the Princeton University Library Collection on Slavery in the Americas (C1210), formerly known as the Miscellaneous Slavery Collection, during 2017 reprocessing.
- Appraisal
No material was separated during processing.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by Lisa Yankowitz during the summer and fall of 2010 . The finding aid was written by Lisa Yankowitz in January 2011 and was regularly updated with new acquisitions by Faith Charlton, Kelly Bolding, Armando Suárez, Amy C. Vo, Kalliopi Balatsouka, and Lauren Williams.
Collection-level notes were revised by Faith Charlton in 2024 to more accurately describe the nature of this collection.
No additions will be made to this collection. Single item acquisitions will be added to Princeton University Library Single Item Acquisitions (C1771).
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
- Credit this material:
Ellery, William, 1727-1820, Draft of Editorial Regarding his Views on Slavery and the Consequences of Emancipation; General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, C0140, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
-
Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA
- Storage Note:
- Firestone Library (mss): Box 61
Find More
- Existence and Location of Copies
Parts of this collection are available on microfilm, cataloged separately as RCPXM-7497696.
