Presented by Maynard Public Library

Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 pm

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In celebration of Black History Month, Maynard author and historian David Mark will speak about Massachusetts’ history of slavery.

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Massachusetts was the first colony to legalize slavery (1641) and the first to end it (1783). A census conducted in 1754 reported that between 1 and 2% of the colony’s population was adult slaves (children were not counted).  With the Revolutionary War still raging on, Massachusetts passed a state constitution in 1780. Key wording: “All men are born free and equal…” A court case a few years later confirmed this applied to people of color.

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