Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public h... more Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public humanities programs for host organizations throughout the state, providing opportunities for New Jersey communities to explore history, values, culture, and beliefs, and to engage in key questions with the support of a scholarly perspective. You can view more here. This NJ Studies "Invited Talk" by Sue Kozel is a NJCH Public Scholars Project program, and thus far versions have been presented at the Paterson Museum, the NJ State Library in Trenton, and "Social Justice Matters." Thank you, and before I begin, I would like to light a candle for the memory of Betty, sometimes called "Wench Betty" in records. Betty was an enslaved African American woman who was murdered by her owner in 1784 in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County, NJ. It's important to set the tone for our talk because when a murder occurs, a life is left unfinished and unfulfilled. I wanted us together to think about that reality. Whether we are gathered together, like today, for Black History Month, or any day of the year, we can reflect on why Betty's life matters in a historical context. Her life can also illuminate challenges in our modern world by showing us a historical context for injustice and race today.
Through an examination of materials from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections (the ... more Through an examination of materials from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections (the Richard Waln Papers and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Papers) and the New Jersey State Archives, the paper highlights select sample writs of habeas corpus and manumission cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1775-1783. The stories narrated in these documents tells a story of freedomand lack of freedomin New Jersey during and after the American Revolution. Slavery was alive and flourishing during post-Revolutionary War America. In New Jersey, historian Giles Wright noted the little-known fact that the number of New Jersey slaves increased after the American Revolution, reaching its peak number in 1 Giles Wright brought me to his New Jersey Historical Commission office to review concepts in my research, and advised me of additional areas to consider. This paper is dedicated to him. I want to thank the New Jersey Historical Commission for its funding of a 2009 Mini-Grant for my research on Richard Waln and New Jersey manumission cases/Writs of Habeas Corpus. Thank you to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for approvals to use its documents and quote from them. Thank you to Graham Russell Hodge's path breaking work on slavery in Monmouth County, New Jersey because his book included two key sentences written about Waln identified him as an abolitionist. Dr. Mark Lender provided guidance and suggestive direction on how the manumission research and writing about Waln could be helpful to New Jersey history, and I am grateful for his comments and encouragement of my research and public history presentations at Kean University. Thanks also to Dr. Jonathan Mercantini for his encouragement and inclusion of my research in Kean programs. Cheryl Stoeber-Goff, Museum Curator, Historic Services Office at the Monmouth County Parks, opened the door so I could use important resources in her office, at the encouragement of Gail Hunton. Cheryl's support helped move me along. Thank you to the Landmarks of American History NEH workshop organizers and participants in the June 2008 Philadelphia Workshop. This forum enabled me to research at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania with several access passes to begin to develop the research focus. Thank you to Historian Tammy Gaskell for assisting me in the navigation of permissions from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Thanks to the reference librarians and archival staff at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and The Haverford College Quaker Collections for helping me dig into manuscript collections with a context. Thank you to all the outstanding reference librarians and archivists at the New Jersey State Archives, in particular Bette Epstein. Thank you to the reference librarians at Kean, Rutgers Alexander Library, Rutgers Special Collections, OCC, MCCC, and Brookdale who helped me find resources. Finally since this article was submitted, I want SHEAR and AAG for inviting me on national conference panels to explore further the ideas in this paper and challenging my thinking about slavery and freedom as it relates to emerging free black communities, the next area of my continuing research. I also want to thank ASALH for providing the earliest national forum for my scholarship. Finally, much appreciation is expressed to Dr. Craig Coenen and Dr. Jay Spaulding for their encouragement and support of my research and public history engagement.
Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as ... more Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as having embraced European and American ideals of natural rights and that the Quaker examples of abolition and charity in the eighteenth century were examples of enlightened leadership. Jacquelyn C. Miller noted that even non-Quakers like Benjamin Franklin sought to identify with “Quaker philosophy” and embrace some of the leading Quaker values as exemplifying liberal capitalism and incorporating enlightenment ideas. Within Quaker enlightenment can also be found the instinct to protest publicly as well as the ability to raise controversial issues by not pushing their confrontation in an aggressive manner. But this paper looks at the issue of whether Quaker relationships with their ethical consequences with former US President, primary author of the US Declaration of Independence, and founder of the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, in personal interactions, writing, and/or employment, did go far enough given in business and personal ethics some Quakers worked with Jefferson to oversee or supply products for Jefferson’s slave plantation.
If these Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain,... more If these Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain, and Surrounding Regions of New Jersey, reviewed by Sue Kozel
Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as ... more Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as having embraced European and American ideals of natural rights and that the Quaker examples of abolition and charity in the eighteenth century were examples of enlightened leadership. Jacquelyn C. Miller noted that even non-Quakers like Benjamin Franklin sought to identify with “Quaker philosophy” and embrace some of the leading Quaker values as exemplifying liberal capitalism and incorporating enlightenment ideas. Within Quaker enlightenment can also be found the instinct to protest publicly as well as the ability to raise controversial issues by not pushing their confrontation in an aggressive manner. But this paper looks at the issue of whether Quaker relationships with their ethical consequences with former US President, primary author of the US Declaration of Independence, and founder of the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, in personal interactions, writing, and/or employme...
Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public h... more Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public humanities programs for host organizations throughout the state, providing opportunities for New Jersey communities to explore history, values, culture, and beliefs, and to engage in key questions with the support of a scholarly perspective. You can view more here. This NJ Studies “Invited Talk” by Sue Kozel is a NJCH Public Scholars Project program, and thus far versions have been presented at the Paterson Museum, the NJ State Library, and “Social Justice Matters.”
&... more <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">: Through an examination of materials from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections (the Richard Waln Papers and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Papers) and the New Jersey State Archives, the paper highlights select sample writs of habeas corpus and manumission cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1775-1783. The stories narrated in these documents tells a story of freedom – and lack of freedom – in New Jersey during and after the American Revolution.</span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p>
Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public h... more Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public humanities programs for host organizations throughout the state, providing opportunities for New Jersey communities to explore history, values, culture, and beliefs, and to engage in key questions with the support of a scholarly perspective. You can view more here. This NJ Studies "Invited Talk" by Sue Kozel is a NJCH Public Scholars Project program, and thus far versions have been presented at the Paterson Museum, the NJ State Library in Trenton, and "Social Justice Matters." Thank you, and before I begin, I would like to light a candle for the memory of Betty, sometimes called "Wench Betty" in records. Betty was an enslaved African American woman who was murdered by her owner in 1784 in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County, NJ. It's important to set the tone for our talk because when a murder occurs, a life is left unfinished and unfulfilled. I wanted us together to think about that reality. Whether we are gathered together, like today, for Black History Month, or any day of the year, we can reflect on why Betty's life matters in a historical context. Her life can also illuminate challenges in our modern world by showing us a historical context for injustice and race today.
Through an examination of materials from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections (the ... more Through an examination of materials from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections (the Richard Waln Papers and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Papers) and the New Jersey State Archives, the paper highlights select sample writs of habeas corpus and manumission cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1775-1783. The stories narrated in these documents tells a story of freedomand lack of freedomin New Jersey during and after the American Revolution. Slavery was alive and flourishing during post-Revolutionary War America. In New Jersey, historian Giles Wright noted the little-known fact that the number of New Jersey slaves increased after the American Revolution, reaching its peak number in 1 Giles Wright brought me to his New Jersey Historical Commission office to review concepts in my research, and advised me of additional areas to consider. This paper is dedicated to him. I want to thank the New Jersey Historical Commission for its funding of a 2009 Mini-Grant for my research on Richard Waln and New Jersey manumission cases/Writs of Habeas Corpus. Thank you to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for approvals to use its documents and quote from them. Thank you to Graham Russell Hodge's path breaking work on slavery in Monmouth County, New Jersey because his book included two key sentences written about Waln identified him as an abolitionist. Dr. Mark Lender provided guidance and suggestive direction on how the manumission research and writing about Waln could be helpful to New Jersey history, and I am grateful for his comments and encouragement of my research and public history presentations at Kean University. Thanks also to Dr. Jonathan Mercantini for his encouragement and inclusion of my research in Kean programs. Cheryl Stoeber-Goff, Museum Curator, Historic Services Office at the Monmouth County Parks, opened the door so I could use important resources in her office, at the encouragement of Gail Hunton. Cheryl's support helped move me along. Thank you to the Landmarks of American History NEH workshop organizers and participants in the June 2008 Philadelphia Workshop. This forum enabled me to research at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania with several access passes to begin to develop the research focus. Thank you to Historian Tammy Gaskell for assisting me in the navigation of permissions from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Thanks to the reference librarians and archival staff at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and The Haverford College Quaker Collections for helping me dig into manuscript collections with a context. Thank you to all the outstanding reference librarians and archivists at the New Jersey State Archives, in particular Bette Epstein. Thank you to the reference librarians at Kean, Rutgers Alexander Library, Rutgers Special Collections, OCC, MCCC, and Brookdale who helped me find resources. Finally since this article was submitted, I want SHEAR and AAG for inviting me on national conference panels to explore further the ideas in this paper and challenging my thinking about slavery and freedom as it relates to emerging free black communities, the next area of my continuing research. I also want to thank ASALH for providing the earliest national forum for my scholarship. Finally, much appreciation is expressed to Dr. Craig Coenen and Dr. Jay Spaulding for their encouragement and support of my research and public history engagement.
Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as ... more Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as having embraced European and American ideals of natural rights and that the Quaker examples of abolition and charity in the eighteenth century were examples of enlightened leadership. Jacquelyn C. Miller noted that even non-Quakers like Benjamin Franklin sought to identify with “Quaker philosophy” and embrace some of the leading Quaker values as exemplifying liberal capitalism and incorporating enlightenment ideas. Within Quaker enlightenment can also be found the instinct to protest publicly as well as the ability to raise controversial issues by not pushing their confrontation in an aggressive manner. But this paper looks at the issue of whether Quaker relationships with their ethical consequences with former US President, primary author of the US Declaration of Independence, and founder of the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, in personal interactions, writing, and/or employment, did go far enough given in business and personal ethics some Quakers worked with Jefferson to oversee or supply products for Jefferson’s slave plantation.
If these Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain,... more If these Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain, and Surrounding Regions of New Jersey, reviewed by Sue Kozel
Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as ... more Scholar Maurice Jackson has written about prominent Quakers like abolitionist Anthony Benezet as having embraced European and American ideals of natural rights and that the Quaker examples of abolition and charity in the eighteenth century were examples of enlightened leadership. Jacquelyn C. Miller noted that even non-Quakers like Benjamin Franklin sought to identify with “Quaker philosophy” and embrace some of the leading Quaker values as exemplifying liberal capitalism and incorporating enlightenment ideas. Within Quaker enlightenment can also be found the instinct to protest publicly as well as the ability to raise controversial issues by not pushing their confrontation in an aggressive manner. But this paper looks at the issue of whether Quaker relationships with their ethical consequences with former US President, primary author of the US Declaration of Independence, and founder of the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, in personal interactions, writing, and/or employme...
Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public h... more Each year, the NJ Council for the Humanities (NJCH) subsidizes at least 200 high-quality public humanities programs for host organizations throughout the state, providing opportunities for New Jersey communities to explore history, values, culture, and beliefs, and to engage in key questions with the support of a scholarly perspective. You can view more here. This NJ Studies “Invited Talk” by Sue Kozel is a NJCH Public Scholars Project program, and thus far versions have been presented at the Paterson Museum, the NJ State Library, and “Social Justice Matters.”
&... more <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">: Through an examination of materials from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections (the Richard Waln Papers and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Papers) and the New Jersey State Archives, the paper highlights select sample writs of habeas corpus and manumission cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1775-1783. The stories narrated in these documents tells a story of freedom – and lack of freedom – in New Jersey during and after the American Revolution.</span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p>
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