Did you know that at least 27 Africans were enslaved in Jamaica Plain in the 1700s? Hidden Jamaica Plain will present an overview of slavery in Jamaica Plain this Sunday.
The history of slavery includes land theft, enslavement first of Indigenous people and then expansion to Africans. Did you know that Massachusetts Bay was the first English colony in North America to legalize slavery in 1641?
There are many different types of slavery including chattel, bonded, forcer labour and sexual slavery. Chattel slavery existed in Massachusetts at the time of the American Revolution, and several Jamaica Plain patriots were enslavers. Chattel slavery considered people legal property to be bought, sold and owned forever. It was legal and supported by the U.S. and European powers from the 16th to the 18th centuries, according to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Hidden Jamaica Plain is a volunteer group researching the history of land theft, enslavement, resistance and community in Jamaica Plain.
This event will be held in the First Church Parish Hall. It is free and open to the public. The event will also be available via Zoom. Please register for the Zoom presentation using this link. No registration is required if you’re coming in person.
Several local groups/organizations are co-sponsoring this event:
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Hidden Jamaica Plain
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First Church in Jamaica Plain, Unitarian Universalist
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Jamaica Plain Historical Society
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First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain
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The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts
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Hidden Brookline
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St. John’s Episcopal Church
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Loring Greenough House
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Roxbury Historical Society
