Slavery & Resistance at White Marsh

Slavery and Resistance at White Marsh. . , The Jesuits enslaved African American families for many generations at White Marsh and other plantations across Maryland. Large, close-knit family units labored in bondage against their will., Resistance to Slavery , Enslaved families resisted slavery through escape, noncompliance, and direct confrontation. Between 1791 and 1815, court records show that members of the Queen, Thomas, and Mahoney families brought freedom suits against Jesuit Priests., Many of the family units, including the Queens and Brown, were forced west between 1823 and 1829 to help establish Roman Catholic institutions in Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, and Louisiana, including St. Louis University., [Captions:] , Above: The Reverend John Ashton (1742-1815), who managed the White Marsh plantation beginning in 1774, is known to have sold many enslaved people. This runaway advertisement, published by Ashton in May 1795, demonstrates how enslaved families resisted slavery while challenging the legitimacy of their bondage. -The Maryland Gazette, Left: Enslaved laborers were vital to the establishment of Georgetown University. Jesuit records reveal that, in 1838, at least 272 enslaved men, women, and children were sold to generate funds that kept the struggling institution from financial collapse., Above: Peter Hawkins Queen (1824-1907) was the first child born into slavery under the Jesuits in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents, Isaac and Succy, were forcibly removed from White Marsh in 1823. Peter's grandparents, Proteus Queen and Anna Hawkins, both born enslaved at White Marsh, were forcibly taken to Missouri in 1829, along with Jack and Sally Queen and their children. These families helped establish St. Stanislaus and St. Louis Colleges., Left: Bill of Sale, 1838 -Courtesy of Georgetown University