Nicolaes Van Wassenaer: Excerpts from the
"Historisch Verhael" (Historical Account), 1624-1630 [At Internet Archive, from
Brooklyn/Burrows]
By resident of Amsterdam named Nicolaes Van Wassenaer on the formation of the Dutch West
India Company and its colonizing efforts in New Netherland.
Virginia Statute for
Religious Freedom, 1786 [At World Policy.org]
Drafted by Jefferson and Madison, Jefferson considered it one of his greatest achievements.
The basis for the later First Amendment.
The Dawes Act,
1887 [At Yale]
An Act to Provide for the Allotment of Lands in Severalty to Indians on the Various
Reservations, and to Extend the Protection of the Laws of the United States and the
Territories over the Indians, and for Other Purposes.
Pope Nicholas V: Bull Authorizing African Slave Trade
Pope Paul III: Sublimus
Dei [On Slavery], 1537 [At Papal Encyclicals]
A Papal Bull attacking the slave trade. The first pope to condemn slavery as
"intrinsically evil" was John Paul II.
Abraham up Den graef: A Minute Against Slavery, 1688. [At Quaker Writings]
The first religious protest against slavery in America, made at a Quaker meeting house.
John Wesley (1703-91): Thoughts
Upon Slavery, 1774 [At UMC]
Wesley was opposed to slavery, but this is interesting as it includes explict descriptions
of the way in which people were enslaved and treated. A great example of the moral force
of Evangelical Christianity.
Back to IndexNOTES: Dates of accession of material added since July 1998 can be seen in the New Additions page.. The date of inception
was 9/22/1997. Links to files at other site are indicated by [At some indication of the site
name or location]. Locally available texts are marked by [At this Site]. WEB indicates a link to one of small
number of high quality web sites which provide either more texts or an especially valuable
overview.