TIL that William Whipple, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, freed his slave after signing it because he believed one cannot simultaneously fight for freedom and hold another person in bondage
In short
William Whipple, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, freed his enslaved servant Prince Whipple after signing the document. Whipple, a descendant of Samuel Appleton, early settler in Ipswich, Massachusetts, was born in Kittery, Massachusetts Bay, and died in New Hampshire, aged 55. He was a member of the Continental Congress from 1776 through 1779 and was the second cousin of fellow signatory Stephen Hopkins.
Key points
- William Whipple, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, freed his ensl…: William Whipple, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, freed his enslaved servant Prince Whipple after signing the document.
- Whipple, a descendant of Samuel Appleton, early settler in Ipswich, Massachusetts, was bo…: Whipple, a descendant of Samuel Appleton, early settler in Ipswich, Massachusetts, was born in Kittery, Massachusetts Bay, and died in New Hampshire, aged 55.
- He was a member of the Continental Congress from 1776 through 1779 and was the second cou…: He was a member of the Continental Congress from 1776 through 1779 and was the second cousin of fellow signatory Stephen Hopkins.