407 THE RULE OF LAW AND THE GENESIS OF FREEDOM: A SURVEY OF SELECTED VIRGINIA COUNTY COURT FREEDOM SUITS (1723-1800) Gloria Whittico * INTRODUCTION........................................................................................ 409 I. PROLOGUE ........................................................................................ 412 II. THE VIRGINIA Origins of the Law of SLAVERY.................................. 422 A. The Virginia Freedom Suit Act of 1795 ....................................... 423 III. FREEDOM Suits in Virginia................................................................ 427 A. The Narratives: Various Legal Theories Upon Which Freedom Suits Were Plead Prior to the 1795 Freedom Suit Act... 428 1. Thomas Ferrell’s Case: “Being Born of a White Woman” ..... 428 2. Anne Toyer v. William Jacob, et al.: “Contrary to the Law of This Colony . . . Being Born Free” .................................... 431 3. Francis Etheridge’s Case (Northampton County, 1749): “An Instrument of Writing”................................................... 434 B. Cases Brought Subsequent to the Effective Date of the Virginia Freedom Suit Act of 1795 ............................................................ 436 1. The Freedom Suit Act of 1795............................................... 436 2. Jacob, alias Pompey: A Freedom Suit Predicated on an Illegal Importation................................................................. 443 3. Jane Banks and Ned Scott: Money Damages Requested ........ 445 4. Thomas and Mary: Freedom Suits Predicated on the Writ of De Homine Replegiando ........................................... 448 5. Negro Sylvia’s Case .............................................................. 449 CONCLUSION AND CODA ......................................................................... 451 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................ 454 A. Virginia Statutes ......................................................................... 454 * Associate Professor, Regent University School of Law. The author wished to express deep gratitude to Greg Crawford, Local Program Manager, Archives of the Library of Virginia for his assistance in the preparation of this paper. She also thanks Ronald Pantalena and Gloria Dandridge for their efforts in the production of the manuscript. She would also like to acknowledge a special debt of gratitude to Ryan J. Heathcock.
THE RULE OF LAW AND THE GENESIS OF FREEDOM: A SURVEY OF SELECTED VIRGINIA COUNTY COURT FREEDOM SUITS (1723-1800)
Jul 05, 2023
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