Adventures in the Archives: Benjamin Colman and Revolutionary Emancipation
The first page of Benjamin Colman’s “Declaration and Testimony, Together with his Complaint Against the Revd Moses Parsons…” from the Museum of Old Newbury’s Churches Collection: Byfield and West Newbury Churches.
by Sam Clewley, Intern
As we celebrate our country's two-hundred and fiftieth anniversary, it is easy to find ourselves buried in the major events of the conflict that our nation was born from. The Battles of Lexington and Concord, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Siege of Yorktown - all of these pivotal moments become the central focus of our collective remembrance. While all of these events are important, our singular focus on them often misses an important question: What was the experience of those who lived through the war? These addresses help us answer that question.
In 1780, Benjamin Colman, a member of the Byfield Parish church in Newbury, wrote his own declaration against slavery and against his pastor, Reverend Moses Parsons. In Colman’s view the American Revolution’s violence; its “…bloddy, dreadful sword…” were evidence of God’s punishment for the continued practice of slavery in the United States. As Colman put it, “Our Land is defiled with blood…and our fingers with inequality…”
While it is sometimes difficult for us to imagine, our Revolutionary moment was a fractious period not only among Britain and its colonial subjects, but also among those subjects themselves. Varying ideas of loyalty, freedom, and righteousness existed across the fledgling United States. Colman exemplifies this when he criticizes the Continental Congress for its limited efforts to end the practice of slavery or what he terms “…the capital sin of these states…” Colman proceeds to criticize his pastor, Reverend Parsons for his remaining silent on the issue of slavery amidst the war and his failure to identify the conflict as God’s wrath against the practice.
In 1783, Colman addressed his pastor, arguing that he had been “…shut up from the society of fellowship…” by Reverend Parsons for addressing the issue of slavery. In other words, Colman had been excluded from the church. Colman’s writings provide important windows into the revolutionary experiences of those who lived through our founding conflict. Even in the birthplace of the American Revolution, not everyone was of one mind.
Colman shows us that individuals utilized revolutionary language and the war itself to speak about issues that mattered to them and that were relevant to their communities. At the same time, doing so could have real and lasting impacts on one’s position in their community - a truth that Colman discovered. Benjamin Colman is a reminder for us all to find the nuance in our collective past.
If you’d like to read through Colman’s entire testimony, we welcome you to do so! Visit us at the Perkins Art & Research Center on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am - 2 pm.