Talk:History of slavery in Indiana

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Hoosier
Does Hoosier refer to a person who's surname is Hoosier or to Indiana natives in general (as in Hoosier)? It isn't really made clear in the text. 193.118.251.61 18:06, 5 June 2007 (UTC)


 * It's to refer to people from Indiana. As there was nobody in the article with the surname of Hoosier, there should be little confusion.--Bedford 19:46, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

What about jennings?

 * This article does not even mention Dennis Pennington or Jennings battle (anti-slavery) against Thomas Posey and his supporters (Pro-Slavery). It also says nothing about their tak over at the constitutional convention and how they stacked it against slavery, or Jennings campaign motto "No slavery in Indiana" and the he declared indiana "a free state". I will try to add that in somewhow.Cool10191 (talk) 14:42, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

I think this is overly critical of Indiana, not very fair. Indiana had to do this because of rulings in federal court.I haven't removed it though, but it should be discussed. This reads as though the whole state of Indiana was pro-slavery. ''Even with the true end of slavery in the state, Hoosiers were supportive of the South’s right to hold slaves, expressed by the help Indiana gave to those who sought fugitive slaves. The Indiana General Assembly passed a law in 1824 that allowed for warrants to be given to slaveholders or their agents to directly go retrieve their slaves. A traveler from New York, Dr. Samuel Bernard Judah, described Vincennes in 1829 as having many blacks, making the observation of them being “generally poorly clad…poor miserable race”.''Cool10191 (talk) 15:17, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

I started this article by copying/pasting part of a paper I did in graduate school about the Southerness of Indiana. So I was interested in showing parallels.-- Bedford 18:47, 7 March 2008 (UTC)


 * I think that is fine. I want to add info about the anit-slavery movement in Indiana, it was pretty strong. That would balance it better. I wil dig up some refences and add something in. Thanks Bedford!Cool10191 (talk) 23:23, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

A Reference
Does anyone object to this reference http://www.adena.com/adena/epler/e13.htm. It sites this as it's source: Indiana, A Redemption From Slavery, by J. P. Dunn, Jr, pages 355-359. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1888

I am adding to the reference section. The page gives an interesting look at how slavery was viewed and contested in the early days of the territory. Feel free to remove it if you think it is not a good reference.Cool10191 (talk) 14:23, 13 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Several books by Jacob Piatt Dunn are on Google Books; check to see if the original source is on there, instead of quoting that website.-- Bedford 14:49, 13 March 2008 (UTC)


 * It's there, I will link the book directly. I haven't based anything I've added from that site. The book looks interesting, i will try to browse it later for anything interesting to add. Thanks BedfordCool10191 (talk) 17:24, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Proposed rewrite
I would like to do a fairly substantial re-write of the article. While it does contain alot of useful information I think it still has somewhat of a baised tone. Mainly that it does not give much information on the anti-slavery movement within the state or much credit to them for actually winning the slavery debate. Here are some points I would like to integrate into the artcle, it may take a me little research but I will try to do it later today:

1. I want to make it clear that the early Territory government was appointed by the federal governemtn, who at the time was dominated by southerners, (Washington, Jefferson, etc ) But as time changed and norterners came to power (Madison, Adams) that it co-incides with defeat of slavery in the state.

2. also worth mentining, in correletion with point 1, the govorner was appointed by the president until 1816, and was always pro slavery, (harrison and posey). They in turn appointed the state legislature up until 1805. In 1805 the lower house of the legislature was elected and only one of them, Davis Floyd was anti-slavery. Then in 1809 the people where allowed to elect the entire legislature and then the anti slavery won overwhelmingly. They passed laws outlawing slavery and ind. servitude. So the facts bear out that the "establishment" was pro-slavery, but when the people were permitted to elect their government it swung strongly against slavery.

3. I think it would be good to more accuratly and fully explain the early debate on slavery in the state. How Harrison tried to force it on the state with the appointed legislature in 1803. Then the springfield meeting of the anit-slavery party and how theyformed a plan to combat the slavery party. How the people went around Harrison in 1805 and overruled his attempt to get slavery. Then their ongoing battle - Jennings's went to congress to hurry statehood so they could be rid of the appointed governers. Pennington and his part took the state legislature and battled back against Harrison and by the time posey had come the legislature was running the state - Posey was so disliked becasuse of his pro-slavery positions that he was supposedly heckled out of Corydon by Pennington. Then bring this right on down the line to pennington getting the position of census enumerator and spreading anti-slavery propeganada statewide the year before the consitionial convention. Then at the convention how it was stacked with anti-slavery men. and finally their crowning truimph in the consitution: they made it unconsitional to remove the clause that banned slavery. Effectivly they prevented slavery from ever entering teh state.

4. Then i would tie in how after election Jennings was forced to stop runaway slaves by federal law after the incident with pennington and the slave stealing in 1819.

5. finally tie that into the larger nationwide slavery struggle - Indiana ultimatly aligned with the north.. ec. the rest is history

Charles Edward 16:02, 8 April 2008 (UTC)


 * OK! I finally got around to working on the article. I added in the points I wanted to. I would like to remove some information that was already in the article and reword things a bit. I may go ahead and do that now.  Charles Edward 17:41, 10 April 2008 (UTC)


 * OK I did it. Also in my research I found som eof my dates where wrong i nmy above comments. The correct dates are in the article. Charles Edward 17:55, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

I thought of another point to incorporate into the artcle which i did slightly: The population was around 3,000 when all the pro-slavery stuff was going on. But about 5 years later the population had increased to near 20,000 and slavery began to be seen in a bad light in the territory. The early establishment was certainyl pro-slavery, but the larger influx of settlers during the first two decades turned the tables and swelled the anti-slavery party's ranks. Charles Edward 14:45, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

'Some suggested corrections/expansion of article. I don't know how to add this as a separate post, I apologize if this is the wrong way to do it.:' Very illuminating article - among other things, I had no idea Jefferson was machinating against the spread of slavery early on. However, some errors in the initial notes regarding the rewrite that may have already been corrected in the article. I don't know how to do this, but wanted to bring it to people's attention:

1) James Madison was not a northerner, but a Virginian and a slave-holder. . 2) I don't think it's accurate to correlate the abolition of slavery in Indiana to a shift in power in the presidency and US politics in general from south to north. Abolitionists rose to power in Indiana during a period dominated by Virginians on the national level. Presidents Washington 1789-1797, Jefferson 1801-1809, Madison 1809-1817, and Monroe 1817-1825 were all slaveholders from Virginia. John Adams 1791-1801, was the only northerner and non-slave-owner in the office during the first 36 years of the presidency. Indiana achieved statehood and legally abolished slavery well before the end of that time. The next northerner to take the presidency, John Quincy Adams, was in 1827, after the battle in Indiana had already been won by the abolitionists. I think the voluntary emancipation of most slaves in Indiana in compliance with the law between 1816-1820, and the enforcement of the law by the state for almost all of the remainder shortly after 1820, speaks to local political efforts and personal beliefs more than to trends in national politics.  4) The presidency and national politics were by no means dominated by anti-slavery northerners after John Quincy Adams' term. The debate and conflict was intense, and if anything, the presidency was more for than against slavery. Andrew Jackson, 1829-37, was a wealthy Tennessee slave-holder. Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841, was from New York, but growing up, his family had slaves, and he took a clear stand against abolition on taking office. William Henry Harrison took office in 1841, and as your article points out, aggressively promoted slavery. Zachary Taylor was a Louisiana slave-holder. Pierce and Buchanan, according to their wikipedia articles, were considered "doughfaces" - northerners with southern sympathies; Democrats who tried to maintain the union by acquiescing to slavery interests, and who supported laws that encouraged it, such as the Kansas-Nebraska act. 

The Dred Scott case, the runaway slave act, and other pro-slavery laws on the national and state level occurred during this time, and actually tightened the grip of slavery during this time. Even free people of color lost freedoms during the antebellum period.  But the South was not so unified in support of slavery as we tend to think; even during the civil war, there was open resistance to secession and slavery. .

Here is a map illustrating the spread of legalized slavery across the country from 1844 to the onset of the civil war: .

3) The statements regarding the effect of living in Indiana on Lincoln's strong anti-slavery beliefs are misleading or disputable. The article gave me the impression that it was the slavery he was exposed to in Indiana that formed this conviction. However, he was exposed to slavery during his early life in Kentucky, and his parents' strong anti-slavery convictions were surely an important influence.  And while the time period referenced for the  crystallization of his convictions may be right, according to some it was what he saw on his trips to New Orleans while working on a flat boat that formed his intense personal commitment. . According to that web page, even Lincoln courted slave-holding interests in Kentucky and made promises not to impose emancipation if the state would remain in the union. Kentucky politicians and slave-holders were outraged when Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation after the war started.

Just some suggestions, some perhaps beyond the scope of this article.m.m (talk) 09:38, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Harrison Spring
You might want to mention Harrison Spring in your the article.-- Bedford 13:56, 11 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Yeah that's a good idea. Did they use slave labor there? (I would bet he did). That must be documented somewhere, i will try to research it. Congrats on your adminship! Charles Edward 14:48, 11 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I would love to expand that article into something DYK worthy.-- Bedford  16:21, 11 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I have a book somewhere that is really old about the history of harrison county. Probably in some box in the back of libarary. I bet there is some info in there on the spring. I also have a book on W H Harrison too, there must be at least a mention. I will see what I can dig up. I had looked at that article awhile ago, its interesting! Charles Edward 16:34, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Amory Kinney and Jacob Hawkins Deserve Mention, Too
The Polly Supreme Court case was argued by an Indiana lawyer/judge named Amory Kinney, who together with his abolitionist brother-in-law John Osborn wreaked havoc on the pro-slavery crowd in Knox County and neighboring counties after moving to Indiana from upstate New York circa 1819.

Kinney proceeded from Polly to represent many more slaves in court and usually obtaining their freedom. The most successful freed slave is practically unknown to Hoosier historians. He was Jacob Hawkins, whom Kinney helped sue for freedom. Hawkins is sometimes mentioned (in The Negro in Indiana and a recent bio of William Henry Harrison) as the first slave on the books who "signed up" to be an indentured servant for a period not to exceed ninety years, in 1805. After obtaining his freedom he proceeded to amass a thousand acres of well-tended farmland & play a key role in the local development of the Wabash-Erie Canal. Hawkins' son and he also helped develop rail and coalmining industries through their holdings in Southern Indiana. Jake Hawkins lived long enough to see Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation passed in 1863.

Am writing this today off the top of my head but can document/footnote the Kinney/Hawkins story. Kinney and Osborn have great tales to tell, too -- Osborn started Indiana's first outright abolitionist newspaper up near Terre Haute. Don't you, my fellow Wiki-historians, believe this earliest of chapters of slavery in Indiana should be included in the article? Thanks.Keith Ellis (talk) 16:49, 3 August 2010 (UTC)


 * i agree, we should add a mention. It might be more appropriate in the Polly v. Lasselle article though. &mdash;Charles Edward (Talk 16:58, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

Voting rights
When were voting rights of blacks in Indiana established? Musicwriter (talk) 02:07, 14 April 2011 (UTC)


 * I would assume with the 15th amendment... AnonMoos (talk) 02:46, 14 April 2011 (UTC)
 * That is right. There was a prior attempt to grant the right in 1851, but it failed. &mdash;Charles Edward (Talk 15:07, 14 April 2011 (UTC)

Grouseland Documentation
I am intrigued to know what documentation exists for the proposition Grouseland was built by slave labor. The bulding was built by William Lindsay (a free white man). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.90.114.191 (talk) 23:22, 5 September 2011 (UTC)

Formatting Question
I noticed in the article itself that the "edit" tabs for each section have a different appearance (i.e. bigger, bolder, and not in brackets) than usual. Anybody know why or how to fix? Tom (North Shoreman) (talk) 19:06, 27 February 2016 (UTC)

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