Delaware’s Signers and Slavery: It’s Complicated

PAST EVENT

Wednesday, January 14, 2026
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Brandywine Hundred Library
New Castle County
Program: Delaware’s Signers and Slavery: It’s Complicated

When Delaware’s 3 signers of the Declaration of Independence stepped up to sign over “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor” on the document, 2 of them were enslavers. However, by 1787, when it was time to sign the new U.S. Constitution, only one of Delaware’s 5 signers was an enslaver. So, what happened? This presentation broadens our understanding of Delaware during the American Revolutionary period by telling the complicated relationship between Delaware’s signers and enslavement and the impact of that relationship on Delaware’s struggling abolitionist movement.

Join Speaker Eric Mease for this talk, hosted by the Brandywine Hundred Historical Society.

This event is sponsored by Delaware Humanities. If you have any questions please contact the hosting location.

Brandywine Hundred Library
1300 Foulk Road
Wilmington DE 19803
302-740-2085