What question did this study set out to answer?

To compile and present a comprehensive database of petitions related to race and slavery in the U.S. from 1775 to 1867.

February 21, 2026Open Access

Race and Slavery Petitions Database, United States, 1775-1867

Key Points

To compile and present a comprehensive database of petitions related to race and slavery in the U.S. from 1775 to 1867.
Collection of over 170,000 records from state legislatures and county courts across multiple states.
Inclusion of petitions by and for enslaved individuals and free blacks, as well as women seeking divorces.
Utilization of archival methods to ensure diverse geographic representation and accurate transcription of records.
Database encompasses nearly 3,000 petitions and various writing on enslaved and free individuals.
About 18% of records are from freedom suits filed by enslaved and free people of color.
Documented shift in societal attitudes towards slavery over the period examined.

Abstract

Dataset CreatorsLoren Schweninger, The University of North Carolina at GreensboroRichard Cox, The University of North Carolina at GreensboroDaniel Nanez, The University of North Carolina at GreensboroJessica Dame, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (data dictionary) “Joseph Tate, a free man of color who served in the Texas Army, “humbly prays that your honorable body will be pleased to allow him to remain in the country and grant him the portion of Land to which he was entitled to under the former government. ”1The Race and Slavery Petitions Database consists of a variety of information on over 170, 000 individuals gathered from almost 3, 000 petitions to state legislatures and approximately 14, 000 county court petitions, as well as other related documents such as wills, deeds, and inventories. Records in this database are from legislative and county courthouses located in the following states (in alphabetical order): Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. Records were collected from each geographical region in the states listed above. For example, records from the state of Virginia were collected from Appalachia as well as Tidewater counties. Due to the petitions’ wide distribution, the cost of travel and photocopying, the limited time for collection, and, in certain counties, the large number of petitions that mention slaves, the editor at the time, Dr. Loren Schweninger, adopted the following selection procedures for the initial data collection: - Every major geographical region within each state is represented. For example, in Virginia, counties were selected from Appalachia (Scott), Shenandoah Valley (Franklin, Frederick), Piedmont (Albemarle, Amherst, Caroline, Fluvanna, Goochland), as well as the more densely Black Southside and Tidewater counties, and cities such as Richmond, Lynchburg, Norfolk, and Petersburg. Each state follows the same pattern, with selected counties from each major geographical region. - All accessible petitions written on behalf of or by slaves and on behalf of or by free blacks from the selected counties were included. - All accessible petitions written by slaveholding white women seeking divorce or alimony from the selected counties were included. The guiding principle for the collection of all other county court petitions was to select, after a thorough canvass, documents that reflect and represent the scope of the county's holdings. 2 From 1998 to 2001, a second round of collection took place, adding sources from several more courthouses and archives. The source material in this database dates from around the time of the American Revolution to the mid-1800s. The long range of time in these records offers different views of race and culture in America as well as changing attitudes between enslavers and the enslaved. About 18% of these records are from enslaved and free people of color filing suits for their freedom. A large portion of records in the database also involves the distribution of enslaved people due to the death of an owner. The Race and Slavery Petitions Database is accompanied by a data dictionary. The dictionary defines data elements found in the dataset. Along with examples, the information found in the dictionary allows data in the dataset to be consistently represented. Some elements in the dictionary may not be a part of the Enslaved. org dataset. Users should refer to the Race and Slavery Petitions website3 for further research on more complex data, such as familial relationships of the enslaved, economic data, and a list of subjects on enslavement. More information on the source material can be found in the following books: The Southern Debate over Slavery, Volume 1: Petitions to Southern Legislatures, 1778-1864. 4The Southern Debate over Slavery, Volume 2: Petitions to Southern County Courts, 1775-1867. 51991-1995, 1998-2001EnglishAlabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, District of Columbia1775-1867Appraisal or AssessmentAuction or Sale NoticeBill of Sale, Invoice, or ReceiptCivil DocumentContractCriminal DocumentDeath or Burial DocumentDigital Data RepositoryFreedom or Emancipation CertificateFreedom SuitLegislation or DecreeInventory or Probate RecordWill and TestamentAdams County Courthouse, Natchez, MississippiAlabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, AlabamaAlachua County Courthouse, Gainesville, FloridaArchives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TennesseeArkansas History Commission, Little Rock, ArkansasAscension Parish Courthouse, Donaldsonville, LouisianaAutauga County Courthouse, Prattville, AlabamaBaldwin County Courthouse, Hardwick, GeorgiaBarbour County Clerk's Office, Clayton, AlabamaBarbour County Courthouse, Clayton, AlabamaBastrop County Courthouse, Bastrop, TexasBedford County Courthouse, Shelbyville, TennesseeBibb County Courthouse, Centreville, AlabamaBibb County Courthouse, Macon, GeorgiaBillups-Garth Archives, Lowndes County Public Library, Columbus, MississippiBourbon County Courthouse, Paris, KentuckyBradley County Courthouse, Warren, ArkansasBrazoria County Courthouse, Angleton, TexasBryan County Courthouse, Pembroke, GeorgiaBulloch County Courthouse, Statesboro, GeorgiaCamden County Courthouse, Woodbine, GeorgiaCape Girardeau County Courthouse, Jackson, MissouriCatahoula Parish Courthouse, Harrisonburg, LouisianaCenter for American History, the University of Texas, Austin, TexasChambers County Courthouse, Lafayette, AlabamaChatham County Courthouse, Savannah, GeorgiaCircuit Court Building, Rustburg, VirginiaCircuit Court Clerk's Office, Clayton, AlabamaCircuit Court Clerk's Office, Petersburg, VirginiaCivil Courts Building, St. Louis, MissouriClaiborne County Courthouse, Port Gibson, MississippiClark County Historical Association Archives, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ArkansasClarke County Courthouse, Grove Hill, AlabamaComal County Courthouse, New Braunfels, TexasCoosa County Courthouse, Rockford, AlabamaCounty Administrative Building, Alachua County, Gainesville, FloridaCounty Clerk's Office, Murfreesboro, TennesseeCounty Court House, Grove Hill, AlabamaCounty Courthouse, Columbiana, AlabamaCounty Courthouse, Dadeville, AlabamaCoweta County Courthouse, Newnan, GeorgiaDallas County Courthouse Annex, Selma, AlabamaDallas County Courthouse, Selma, AlabamaDelaware State Archives, Dover, DelawareDickson County Courthouse Annex, Charlotte, TennesseeEast Baton Rouge Parish, Clerk of Court Archives, Baton Rouge, LouisianaEast Feliciana Parish Courthouse, Clinton, LouisianaEast Texas Research Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TexasEffingham County Courthouse, Springfield, GeorgiaElbert County Courthouse, Elberton, GeorgiaEmanuel County Courthouse, Swainsboro, GeorgiaEscambia Circuit Court, Pensacola, FloridaEscambia County Courthouse, Pensacola, FloridaFlorida State Archives, Tallahassee, FloridaFloyd County Courthouse, Rome, GeorgiaGadsden County Courthouse, Quincy, FloridaGeorgia Department of Archives and History, Atlanta, GeorgiaGlynn County Courthouse, Brunswick, GeorgiaGrayson County Courthouse, Sherman, TexasGreene County Courthouse, Greensboro, GeorgiaGreene County Records Retention Center, Greensboro, GeorgiaGuadalupe County Courthouse, Seguin, TexasHalifax Circuit Court Building, Halifax, VirginiaHamilton County Courthouse, Jasper, FloridaHancock County Courthouse, Sparta, GeorgiaHarrison County Courthouse, Cynthiana, KentuckyHenry County Courthouse, Abbeville, AlabamaHinds County Courthouse, Raymond, MississippiHistoric Natchez Foundation ArchivesHuntsville Madison County Public Library ArchivesIberville Parish Courthouse, Plaquemine, LouisianaJackson County Courthouse, Marianna, FloridaJefferson County Courthouse, Beaumont, TexasJefferson County Courthouse, Fayette, MississippiJefferson County Courthouse, Hillsboro, MissouriJefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, GeorgiaJefferson County History Center, Jefferson College, Hillsboro, MissouriJones County Courthouse, Gray, GeorgiaJudicial Building, Murfreesboro, TennesseeJudicial Building, TalladegaKentucky Division of Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KentuckyKnox County Archives, Knoxville, TennesseeLauderdale County Archives, Meridian, MississippiLauderdale County Courthouse, Florence, AlabamaLaurens County Courthouse, Dublin, GeorgiaLawrence County Historical Commission Archives, Moulton, AlabamaLiberty County Courthouse, Hinesville, GeorgiaLibrary of Virginia, Richmond, VirginiaLimestone County Archives, Athens, AlabamaLincoln County Courthouse, Fayetteville, TennesseeLouisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LouisianaLowndes County Courthouse, Hayneville, AlabamaMacon County Courthouse, Tuskegee, AlabamaMadison County Courthouse, Fredericktown, MissouriMadison County Public Library Archives, Huntsville, AlabamaMarion County Courthouse, Ocala, FloridaMaryland State Archives, Annapolis, MarylandMaury County Courthouse, Columbia, TennesseeMaury County Historical Society Loose Records Project, Columbia, TennesseeMemphis and Shelby County Archives, Memphis, TennesseeMeriwether County Courthouse, Greenville, GeorgiaMetropolitan Nashville-Davidson County ArchivesMississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, MississippiMissouri State Archives, Jefferson City, MissouriMonroe County Courthouse, Aberdeen, MississippiMontgomery County Courthouse, Montgomery, AlabamaMuscogee County Courthouse, Columbia, GeorgiaNacogdoches County Courthouse, Nacogdoches, TexasNatchitoches Parish Courthouse, Natchitoches, LouisianaNational Archives, Washington, D. C. New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans, LouisianaNorth Carolina Department of Archives and History, Raleigh, North CarolinaNoxubee County Courthouse, Macon, MississippiOglethorpe County Courthouse, Lexington, GeorgiaPerry County CourthousePhillips County Courthouse, Helena, ArkansasPickens County Courthouse, Carrollton, AlabamaPierpont Morgan Library, New York, New YorkPike County Courthouse, Troy, AlabamaPointe Coupee Parish Courthouse, New Roads, LouisianaPulaski County Courthouse, Hawkinsville, GeorgiaPutnam County Courthouse, Palatka, FloridaPutnam Parish Courthouse ArchivesRecords of the County CourtRichmond County Courthouse, Augusta, GeorgiaRichmond County Records Retention Center, Augusta, GeorgiaRussell County Courthouse, Phenix City, AlabamaSaline County Courthouse, Benton, ArkansasScreven County Courthouse, Sylvania, GeorgiaShelby County Archives, Columbiana, AlabamaShelby County Courthouse, Shelby, AlabamaSouth Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South CarolinaSouth Caroliniana Library, Columbia, South CarolinaSt. James Parish Courthouse, Convent, LouisianaSt. John the Baptist Parish Courthouse, Edgard, LouisianaSt. Johns County Historical Society, St. Augustine, FloridaSt. Landry Parish Courthouse, Opelousas, LouisianaState Records Building, National Archives, Washington, D. C. Ste. Genevieve County Courthouse, Ste. Genevieve, MissouriSumter County Courthouse, Livingston, AlabamaSussex County Courthouse, Sussex, VirginiaTalladega County Judicial Building, Talladega, AlabamaTallapoosa County Courthouse, Dadeville, AlabamaTennessee Department of Archives and HistoryTennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TennesseeTexas State Library-Archives Division, Austin, TexasThomaston-Upson ArchivesTravis County Courthouse, Austin, TexasTroup County Archives, LaGrange, GeorgiaTuscaloosa County Courthouse, Tuscaloosa, AlabamaUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock, School of Law, Little Rock, ArkansasUniversity of New OrleansUniversity of South Alabama Archives, Mobile, AlabamaUniversity of Texas Archives, Austin, TexasVirginia State LibraryWashington County Courthouse, Chipley, FloridaWashington County Courthouse, Greenville, MississippiWashington County Courthouse, Sandersville, GeorgiaWest Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse, Port Allen, LouisianaWest Feliciana Parish Courthouse, St. Francisville, LouisianaWilcox County Courthouse, Camden, AlabamaWilkes County Courthouse, Washington, GeorgiaWilkinson County Courthouse, Irwinton, GeorgiaWilkinson County Courthouse, Woodville, MississippiWilliamson County Courthouse, Franklin, TennesseeWilliamson County Preservation of Records and Archives, Franklin, TennesseeYalobusha County Courthouse, Coffeeville, MississippiYazoo County Courthouse, Yazoo City, MississippiThe creation of the Race and Slavery Petitions dataset took place over the course of two decades and through disruptive technological innovations. Records from fourteen legislative archives and around 160 county courthouses were collected from 1991 through 1995. Additional records from other locations were added to the collection from 1998 through 2001. The primary source material for the Race and Slavery Petitions Database was photocopied and transferred to microfiche. Data was eventually transcribed from photocopies into spreadsheets. Transcriptions were identical to the source material. A Microsoft Access database was created to store information from spreadsheets. In 2005, data was migrated from Access into a newly created Microsoft SQL Server database. The same year, the records in this dataset were made a part of the Digital Library on American Slavery (dlas. uncg. edu) through a “We the People” grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. To our knowledge, full text petitions are not freely available online, some through primary source databases with a subscription. Sources for full petitions can be found in the Southern Life, Slavery and the Civil War collection, which is sold as part of the History Vault, under the Slavery and the Law module. 6 Two microfilm collections are also available, titled Race, Slavery, and Free Blacks. Series I offers a complete collection of the legislative petitions found in state archives. Some states are disproportionately represented because their petition collections better withstood time and the elements. Series II offers a sample of slavery- and race-themed petitions recovered from court archives in fifteen slaveholding states and the District of Columbia. 7Each petition and all the documents related to it collected by the Race and Slavery Petitions Project is uniquely identified by an eight-digit PAR (Petition Analysis Record) number. The first digits in the number identifies legislative (1) versus county court (2 or 3) petitions. The next two digits indicate the state where the petition was filed. The numbering by state is in alphabetical sequence. Since only the fifteen slaveholding states and the District of Columbia are represented in the collection, the numbering is from '01' (Alabama) to '16' (Virginia). The next three numbers represent the last three numbers of the filing year. The last two digits are used to uniquely identify a petition among petitions filed in the same year and the same state. All information about individuals, events, dates, and places used to create the Project was taken from petitions and related documents submitted with the filing and trying of civil cases submitted by various individuals. The accuracy of this information therefore depends entirely on the accurate recollection, telling, and recording of these individuals, events, dates, and places by the various individuals involved in the trying of the cases, including petitioners, defendants, witnesses, lawyers, and public officials. In some cases, inconsistent information regarding an individual, an event, a date or a place was found in multiple documents. In such cases, a 'best guess' was made based on cross-checking and comparative analysis of the multiple documents. One specific area where inconsistency may be detected by users of this data relates to the color of individuals identified as being enslaved or free people of color. The color of an individual was assigned based on two criteria. If an enslaved individual or free person of color was specifically described by his or her color, then that color was used. For example, a person described as black or very dark was assigned the color 'black'; a person described as mulatto, copper, yellow, dark mulatto, or light mulatto was assigned the color 'mulatto. ' If an individual's color, however, was not specifically provided, that person would be assigned the color 'black' by default. Information on localities can be found inside a record’s abstract. For example, Petition #11382606 states, “the legislature appropriated 15, 000 for the opening of Walls Cut, ’a canal that would accommodate first-class steamboats and coastal vessels entering the river systems in Beaufort District. ’”8Records where a date was unknown are designated by a year of 9999. The most records recorded in this dataset are in the decade of 1820-1829. Project Website: https: //dlas. uncg. edu/petitionsDataset Repository: Harvard Dataverse, https: //doi. org/10. 7910/DVN/SX2NNELinked Data Representation: Enslaved. orgNational Archives and Records AdministrationCharles Stewart Mott FoundationThe University of North Carolina at GreensboroNational Endowment for the Humanities

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