The way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth upon them.

I’d rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing than to save my skin by taking back what I said.

Brave men do not gather by thousands to torture and murder a single individual, so gagged and bound he cannot make even feeble resistance or defense.

I felt that one had better die fighting against injustice than to die like a dog or rat in a trap.

The way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth upon them.

I’d rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing than to save my skin by taking back what I said.

Brave men do not gather by thousands to torture and murder a single individual, so gagged and bound he cannot make even feeble resistance or defense.

Telling the Truth About Slavery

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” – U. S. President John Adams

Ida B. Wells Center on American Exceptionalism and Restorative Justice is committed to engaging, researching, and addressing the historical misapprehensions of the legality of colonial slavery. We seek to debunk the myths and falsehoods surrounding colonial slavery by pulling on the thread that weaves current racial-biased structures with slave-based systems of the colonial past through Scholarship, Engagement, and Action. We endeavor to change the social perceptions and racial prescriptive narratives of Blackness in America perpetrated and perpetuated by White predatory colonists in the criminal enterprise of slavery in colonial America. We advocate for due process rights and legal recourse for the men and women unjustly enslaved by giving them a voice to be heard.

Where to Begin

Why Everything Changed

Learn how slavery in the U.S. was rooted in corrupt colonial practices, challenging its legality under British law and reshaping historical narratives.

The What Behind it All

Explore how English common law deemed slavery illegal in American colonies, challenging the legitimacy of colonial slave codes.

The Whatsoever

Explore how the Declaratory Act of 1766 asserted British legislative authority over American colonies, nullifying conflicting colonial laws and fueling revolutionary sentiments.

How it Impacts

Explore how the Declaratory Act of 1766 nullified colonial slave laws, redefining the legal and historical understanding of slavery in the U.S.

The Who Behind it All

Discover Elizabeth Key's 17th-century legal battle in Virginia, challenging hereditary slavery by asserting rights under English common law.

Tying the Knot

Uncover the criminal origins of slavery in the U.S. at the Ida B. Wells Center, exploring how corrupt colonial practices defied British law.

Join the Conversation

Join the SEA-Change! Click a topic to read more and join the discussion.

Jefferson and Washington’s Illegal Slave Activities

Washington’s Extralegal Claim on Colonial Slavery

Phillipsburg Emancipation Proclamation of Colonial Blacks

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Sons and Daughters of the Enslaved

Sons & Daughters of the Enslaved (SADE) extends an invitation to those interested in speaking up for those who no longer have a voice to speak for themselves.

Join SADE

Historical Enslavement

Centuries of Building Empires through Racial Divide

12th Century Shackles
12th Century
13th Century Shackles
13th Century
14th Century Shackles
14th Century
15th Century Shackles
15th Century
16th Century Shackles
16th Century
17th Century Shackles
17th Century
18th Century Shackles
18th Century
19th Century Shackles
19th Century
20th Century Shackles
20th Century
21st Century Shackles
21st Century

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