The question of abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia in 1682 was no new issue, for as early as 1805 the anti-slavery sentiment was manifested. This was seen in the Congressional debates over the importation of slaves and the petition from the citizens of the District asking that slavery and the slave trade be abolished therein. The petition suffered an overwhelming defeat in Congress but the spirit of freedom survived. About 1818 or 1819 this movement was rapidly gaining momentum for it attracted the attention of many persons who were abolitionists at heart and desired only a pretext to exert their influence. There were also many organizations which condemned every form of servitude be it mild or severe.3

In 1828 the first effort to secure a gradual abolition of slavery in the District was put forth by 1,000 citizens who signed a petition and presented the same to Congress, praying that body to abolish slavery within the confines of said Territory.*

The question of abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia soon became a political issue and was used in the platforms of high office seekers. In 1836 Martin Van Buren adopted a pro-slavery platform for the District, and in his inaugural address committed himself to a

1 Two general accounts have been written concerning the Negro in the District of Columbia. One by Mary Tremain and the other by Edward Ingle. Both of these failed to make use of many valuable sources of information. The former was based principally on Congressional sources while the latter, although a Johns Hopkins University study in History, was written without a critical and discriminating employment of the historical data that were available. The present study is an attempt to survey the Negro population in the District of Columbia during Reconstruction, which was one of the most critical periods in the history of the National Capital.

2 This study was completed under the direction of Professor Charles H. Wesley of the Department of History. It was submitted as a partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master of Arts degree, Howard University.

3 Annals of Congress, pp. 995-998.

4 The Daily Morning Chronicle, January 9, 1866.