The petition for freedom by the enslaved Blacks was an example of the Revolutionary ideologies rapidly spreading throughout the colonies. Reading the text, it was evident that the slaves sought to co-opt many ideas of the revolutionary movement and apply them to their struggles. The primary purpose of the American Revolution was to achieve independence from the dominion of the British Empire, with the movement starting with the well-known Declaration of Independence. The US at the time was the first country to achieve independence from colonial rule and pursue a path of self-governance and nation-building and identity, setting an example for others in the next century.1 One can see similar sentiments in the petition, as Hall refers to the dissatisfaction that Americans had with the colonial rule of Great Britain. He appeals to their pathos, suggesting that based on the principles that America holds dear, such as liberty and independence, the council should understand the tribulations of the enslaved Blacks.2
The American Revolution was striving to create a new nation built on key values. These are crucially described in the Declaration of Independence as “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”3 When making his appeal, Hall seeks to reference and draw on these aspects, “your Petitioners apprehend that they have in common with all other men a Natural and Inalienable Right to that freedom.”4 Hall is saying that coming from the same Creator as men, the slaves similarly deserve the human rights that Jefferson critically emphasizes in his document, which itself is based on John Locke’s philosophies. Although Hall likely did not understand the complexities of the ideology, it was a driving force and political philosophy behind the American Revolution. To the colonists, the Revolution was more than simple freedom, it was an opportunity for self-determination, both as individuals and as citizens of the country that was at its birth. It was such a popular ideology which is why Hall likely used it as a leading concept in his appeal.
Along with the many co-opted ideas, Hall sought to adopt some of the rhetoric of the revolutionaries to highlight the struggle for freedom that he and his comrades experienced. Some of these were discussed earlier, such as the inalienable rights. However, there is other rhetoric in the appeal that likely had revolutionary roots. Similarly, he uses other commonly used terminology at the time such as liberty, laws of nature, defiance, freedom, and born of this land. While the American Revolution was an intellectual and government movement, it also needed significant social support to justify the war with Britain and enroll soldiers into the militias. The frustrations regarding British rule and disregard for American interests along with taxation with representation were widespread. However, the leading American revolutionaries simplified many of the political slogans and essentially created an unsophisticated propaganda machine with the rhetoric that is commonly recognized now that simplistically captures the purpose of their resistance to the British.5 Hall’s appeal takes on many notes of this rhetoric, ranging from terminology to the correct use of ideas to justify the inherent nature of their strive for freedom. The call to free the slaves based on revolutionary ideologies and rhetoric was a strong contributing factor to establishing the legal decision of their eventual liberty in the state.
References
Hall, P. (1777). Petition for freedom to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives.
Jefferson, T. (1776). Declaration of Independence: A transcription. Web.
The American Revolution Institute. (2019). Why the American Revolution matters? Web.
Wood, G. S. (1966). Rhetoric and reality in the American Revolution. The William and Mary Quarterly, 23(1), 4–32. Web.