In February 1837, nine Fredericksburg black women, presumably slaves, sent a petition to Congressman John Quincy Adams, asking for the abolition of slavery.
The only two women named on the petition were Susan Loushing and Rachael Steers. Names of the others have been lost through time. But Loushing clearly wanted the signers kept secret; she asked that “Mr. Patton” not know of the petition “as he is mightily against such doings.”
Loushing recognized how things were done in politics, even in those days. “I hope you good men would do something in this business, but it seems all talk up with you in Congress.”
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by clicking on the names below. |
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• Gabriel Prosser, inspired by the Bible |
• John J. Wright devoted leader, reader |
• Urbane Bass, city doctor |
• Sadie Combs, first teacher at Snell
• Philip Wyatt,
• Palmer Hayden,
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• Venus Jones, First black graduate of MWC |
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petitioning for change |
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Sources: "A Different Story" by Ruth Coder Fitzgerald; HistoryPoint.org of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library; The Free Lance-Star archives; State of Michigan Web site; African Within; The Kennedy Center; We Were Always Free By T.O. Madden Jr.; The Richmond Times-Dispatch; Life Magazine; Westmoreland County, Virginia. |
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