Petition from Citizens of New York Asking that Slavery and the Slave-trade may be Expressly Prohibited by Act of Congress in all the Territories of the United States
3/25/1851
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Starting in the 1830s a small but growing movement advocated the abolition of slavery in the United States. After 1850 abolition’s appeal spread to those who feared slavery’s expansion into the territories. Abolitionists collected hundreds of thousands of signatures on petitions to Congress, like this one from citizens of New York. As abolitionist agitation increased, Southern whites became increasingly outspoken in their defense of slavery.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
National Archives Identifier: 4534642
Full Citation: Petition from Citizens of New York Asking that Slavery and the Slave-trade may be Expressly Prohibited by Act of Congress in all the Territories of the United States; 3/25/1851; Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to the Committee on the Territories during the 31st Congress; Committee Papers, 1827–1946; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/petition-from-citizens-of-new-york-asking-that-slavery-and-the-slavetrade-may-be-expressly-prohibited-by-act-of-congress-in-all-the-territories-of-the-united-states, December 5, 2023]Activities that use this document
- From Slavery to Juneteenth: Emancipation and Ending Enslavement
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