The Significance of Group Manumissions in Post-Revolutionary Rural Maryland

A large majority of slaves manumitted in post-Revolutionary Maryland were not freed individually, but were instead mentioned in manumissions that included other slaves. While the terms for these 'group' manumissions varied, slaves freed in such deeds potentially faced similar opportunities and challenges. They were often young children when manumitted, and while still relatively young when they actually achieved freedom, typically had to wait a decade or more to become legally free. Group manumissions show the ability of some African Americans to rescue multiple loved ones from bondage, but also serve as a reminder of the limits facing other Maryland slaves who sought to acquire their legal freedom.