Lyman Trumbull and
the Antislavery Movement

Allison Mansker
Waterloo High School, Waterloo

Lyman Trumbull was a significant Illinoisan. He worked diligently for African-Americans' freedom from slavery.

Illinois considered itself a free state before the Civil War, but slavery did exist as early as 1719. Upon the passage of the Ordinance of 1787, slavery or involuntary servitude was deemed unlawful in the Northwest Territory. However, the French living in Illinois foiled the ordinance by claiming slavery as part of their laws and culture.

Laws were also passed in the Illinois and Indiana territories that essentially allowed slavery. They stated that immigrants could bring their slaves with them to the territories. The slave could then sign a form that said that he or she agreed to work for his or her master. Their bondage could be limited to a certain task. If the slave did not agree to sign a form he or she would be expelled from the territory for sixty days. Slaves had to be thirty-two years old to be released. Those who were under age were registered with an officer and held until they were thirty-two years old. Illinois enacted a very severe regulation that favored and somewhat promoted slavery. The regulation stated that if a black or mulatto was found without a written certificate granting him or her freedom, he or she would be deemed a runaway slave and could be sold as punishment. Slaves and servants could also be whipped as punishment. The question of legalizing slavery was asked again— even though the Illinois Constitution of 1818 clearly prohibited slavery or involuntary servitude—when Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state in 1820.

Lyman Trumbull was a very important figure in the antislavery movement in Illinois. He was born and raised in Colchester, Connecticut, and arrived in Illinois in 1837 with the belief that slavery was immoral and illegal, sentiments that came from his New England background. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1840 and was appointed secretary of state a year later. He resigned from office in 1843 due to political disagreements with the governor, and he returned to his law practice in Belleville. He was opposed to slavery and believed that the state should have nothing to do with slavery. He was the attorney in many cases for blacks and received little or no pay. Until that time, many slaves chose "voluntary servitude" because they did not understand the law. Even if they did understand the law, they would have been sold by slave traders in adjoining states. Many freed slaves in Illinois were kidnapped and sold back into slavery. The Black Laws stated that any slave coming into Illinois who refused indenture within thirty days could be reclaimed by his master and would be delivered to him. If he was not claimed, he was to be arrested and sold into service for one year. In 1845 Trumbull was involved with the very important case of Jarrot v. Jarrot. Joseph Jarrot, a French black slave, sued his owner, Julia Jarrot, for wages. Joseph Jarrot was the grandson of a French black who was a slave before the Northwest Ordinance. The case represented a very important legal issue because it called for a legal opinion on the premise that French black slaves were not covered

Lyman Trumbull was an important figure in the antislavery movement. As an attorney, Trumbull won an im- portant case concerning a slavery issue.

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under the ordinance in the Northwest Territory before the law was passed. The case was tried in St. Clair County in 1843. The jury brought back a verdict favoring Julia Jarrot. Lyman Trumbull advised Joseph to appeal his case to the state supreme court. The case was appealed and heard. In Trumbull's brief, he said that no person born in the area covered by the Northwest Ordinance could be held as a slave. He also stated that any slave brought into Illinois with or without his master's approval was automatically free. The majority of the state supreme court justices agreed with Trumbull. They reversed Article VI of the ordinance and applied it to all blacks in the Northwest Territory at the time of passage. The case was an important victory for antislavery activists and for Lyman Trumbull.

In 1849 Trumbull was elected to a three-year term on the state supreme court. He was reelected to the bench in 1852 for a nine-year term but resigned in 1853. He was unhappy with the politics involved in the court and not being able to express his political views. Trumbull went back into private practice, but returned to politics in 1854. He ran for and won a seat in the U. S. Senate in 1854. He went to Washington to battle against slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and Stephen Douglas. He also worked very closely with Abraham Lincoln and helped with his campaign.

Lyman Trumbull considered himself a good Democrat who wanted to end slavery in the territories. He did not see himself as an abolitionist, however. He wanted freedom for African-Americans and was willing to fight for it. Lyman Trumbull was a very important figure in the events that led to the Civil War.—[From Mark M. Krug, Lyman Trumbull; Nick J. Perrin, History of Illinois; Ray D. Wilson, Illinois Historical Tour Guide.]

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