Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Lattimer, George, fl. 1843 Massachusetts Congress "House No. 41" [slave case]

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06838 Author/Creator: Lattimer, George, fl. 1843 Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Pamphlet Date: 1843 Pagination: 35 p. 24.5 x 15.2 cm Order a Copy

Account of slave case of George Lattimer. First and only edition. Original wrappers. Lattimer, a free black Boston resident, had been arrested on application of James Gray of Norfolk, Va., as his escaped slave. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, acting as Circuit Judge, had Lattimer detained. Many Bostonians were outraged, and a meeting at Fanueil Hall voted that disunion was preferable to returning slaves. With the threat of massive civil disobedience, Gray sold Lattimer to a group of Bostonians for $400. A result of this incident (included in this pamphlet) was the passage of "An Act to Protect Personal Freedom." Unrecorded. Finkelman, Slavery in the Courthouse 64-68.

Lattimer, George, fl. 1843

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources