Messages and Letters of William Henry Harrison/Proclamation calling a convention to petition congress to allow slavery in Indiana territory

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Harrison to Secretary of War Murder of an Indian by a white man
October, 1802

Messages and Letters of William Henry Harrison
edited by Logan Esarey

Proclamation calling a convention to petition congress to allow slavery in Indiana territory (November 22, 1802) by William Henry Harrison

Resolutions of convention at Vincennes favoring slavery in territory
December 25, 1802

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1325703Messages and Letters of William Henry Harrison — Proclamation calling a convention to petition congress to allow slavery in Indiana territory (November 22, 1802)William Henry Harrison

Proclamation: Calling a Convention to Petition Congress TO Allow Slavery in Indiana Territory

November 22, 1802

Executive Journal, 7

Petitions having been presented to the Governor by a Considerable number of the Citizens of the Territory praying that a proclamation should Issue from the Executive authority for Calling a General Convention for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of repealing the sixth article of Compact between the United States and the people of the Territory, and for other purposes, and proof having been adduced to the governor that a very large majority of the Citizens are in favor of the measures: the Governor in Compliance with their wishes Issued his proclamation notifying all whom it may concern that an Election will be held at the Respective Court Houses in Each County of the Territory on Tuesday the 11th. day of December for Choosing representatives to a General Convention, and the number of Representatives from the several Counties to be as follows Viz. from the County of Knox four, from the County of Randolph three, from the County of St. Clair three, and from the County of Clark two, and the Sheriffs of the several Counties are authorized and required to hold the Elections in their Respective Counties, and in Case of any of the Sheriffs are Candidates, then the election to be held by the Coroners.^[1]

↑ By a subsequent proclamation, dated November 24, the time for opening this convention was changed to Monday, December 20th, Executive Journal, 7, at which time it duly met. On December 25th the convention adopted a resolution in favor of a ten year suspension of the article of the Ordinance of 1787 which prohibited slavery; and on the 28th the substance of this resolution, together with some additional requests concerning the grant of lands, provisions for education, roads, salt springs, the franchise, etc., was embodied in a petition to Congress, which was transmitted to that body by the Governor with an accompanying letter on the same day. An adverse report to the request concerning slavery (and most of the other matters) was returned in the House of Representatives by a committee presided over by John Randolph, on March 2, 1803; but a year later (February 17, 1804) a second committee reported in favor of it. The desired authorization for the introduction of slavery, however, was not obtained, either at this time or later, when the petition was several times renewed. The documents cited above are here printed as necessary to an understanding of this proclamation. See Jacob Piatt Dunn's Slavery Petitions and Papers in Indiana Historical Society Publications, II, No. 12 (1894); also his Indiana: A Redemption From Slavery ("American Commonwealths" series.)

[1] By a subsequent proclamation, dated November 24, the time for opening this convention was changed to Monday, December 20th, Executive Journal, 7, at which time it duly met. On December 25th the convention adopted a resolution in favor of a ten year suspension of the article of the Ordinance of 1787 which prohibited slavery; and on the 28th the substance of this resolution, together with some additional requests concerning the grant of lands, provisions for education, roads, salt springs, the franchise, etc., was embodied in a petition to Congress, which was transmitted to that body by the Governor with an accompanying letter on the same day. An adverse report to the request concerning slavery (and most of the other matters) was returned in the House of Representatives by a committee presided over by John Randolph, on March 2, 1803; but a year later (February 17, 1804) a second committee reported in favor of it. The desired authorization for the introduction of slavery, however, was not obtained, either at this time or later, when the petition was several times renewed. The documents cited above are here printed as necessary to an understanding of this proclamation. See Jacob Piatt Dunn's Slavery Petitions and Papers in Indiana Historical Society Publications, II, No. 12 (1894); also his Indiana: A Redemption From Slavery ("American Commonwealths" series.)

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