Petition For Freedom
Charlotte Dupuy and her family enjoyed the relative freedom of living in Washington, DC, where they met other slaves and joined some of the activities of the city. Clay allowed her to visit her mother and family on the Eastern Shore a couple of times. Following his Congressional career, Henry Clay served as Secretary of State from 1825-1829.
As Clay began making preparations in 1829 to leave the capital when his service ended, Dupuy filed a petition for her freedom and that of her children. She based this on her mother's being free and her previous owner Condon's promise to free her and her children. Clay thought his political enemies had persuaded her to do it but decided to fight it, as he was embarrassed by the publicity.
On February 13, 1829, her attorney Robert Beale wrote a petition on her behalf to the judges of the District of Columbia. The petition asked the courts to use their power to keep Clay from removing Charlotte Dupuy from the District of Columbia while her lawsuit for freedom was underway. The Court granted this petition.
Beale argued that Dupuy and her children were “entitled to their freedom” based on a promise by her previous master James Condon, but were “now held in a state of slavery by one Henry Clay (Secty of State) contrary to the law and your petitioners just rights.” Clay wanted to remove the Dupuys from their DC residence and return them to Kentucky. There, Beale argued, they would “be held as slaves for life." While the Court allowed Charlotte Dupuy to stay in Washington while the case was heard, it permitted Clay to take her husband Aaron and children Mary Ann and Charles back to Kentucky.
Read more about this topic: Charlotte Dupuy
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