1795-Fall: Rumors that the National Convention had decreed the end of slavery swept through the mid-Atlantic states, prompting a group of “citizens of color”…

1795-Fall: Rumors that the National Convention had decreed the end of slavery swept through the mid-Atlantic states, prompting a group of “citizens of color” in Philadelphia to draft a letter of thanks. They celebrated the “immortal Decree” for breaking their chains and wiping out traces of slavery in the French colonies. Simultaneously, local newspapers published conflicting reports asserting that the Convention had actually revoked general liberty and annulled the abolition of the slave trade. Many people held captive by French enslavers in Pennsylvania and Delaware took advantage of this confusion to slip away and seek freedom. This struggle over information mirrored the open debates occurring within the French emigré community regarding the future of the colonial regime.