Next to slavery, a group of twenty-eight white residents of Frederick County assert, the "partial emancipation of slaves" is the "greatest evil" facing residents of the state. Given that the laws designed to force emancipated slaves to emigrate are in their operation "perfectly nugatory," whether by designed or failure of enforcement, the petitioners feel compelled to bring the subject to the attention of the legislature. Those who hold slaves and "wish to ease their goaded consciences by freeing them" should be permitted to do so without doing injury to society. Owners wishing to free their slaves should hire them out until they have earned enough for their own removal; or owners should cast lots and sell others slaves to pay for the removal of those they wish to free. Meanwhile, free people of color who remain in the state contrary to law should revert as slaves to the heirs of their emancipators.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
