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Arthurs Warning

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In the 18th century the largest and the most successful merchants lived in Boston at the hub of trade between locals and the international market. Merchants owned and insured ships that carried merchandise throughout the Atlantic world. Most of them became very wealthy and did not hesitate to buy one or more slaves to work as domestic servants and laborers due to the fact that they had little use for them on family farms. A man named Arthur was born in Taunton on January 15th, 1747 in the home of Richard Godfrey. Arthur’s mother was a slave so in that time period he was born to become a slave. He was taught to read and write and treated nicely by his master, but he was disappointed in himself for how often he made his mistress angry, which he claims that caused him to start running away. At the age of 14 he ran away from his master, and began committing crimes such as stealing, and rape. He would eventually be found guilty of these crimes at the age of 21, and hanged. Arthur clearly confesses to the crimes he committed, and what punishments he incurred in his life in A Boston Brookside, 1778. Arthur’s confession was printed on broadsides, and posted up throughout the city of Boston. Arthur’s confession was a warning to Negro slaves of what the consequences were of committing such crimes.
Arthur understood that he was treated with respect when he was respectful to others; Arthur conveys this in his confession of his crimes by saying “Where I behaved well for two m...

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Submitted by: jade
Date Submitted: 11-29-09 10:41pm
Category: History
Words: 1104
Pages: 4.42