The First Emancipator

Introduction

Robert Carter III dwelled in Virginia in the second half of the eighteenth century. He had all the marks of Virginia gentry: family name, money, land, and slaves. His peers included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and the Lee family (Levy, xi). What makes Carter different is that he is a forgotten founding father. This is partly related to the fact that he held few public offices and his stand on independence from Britain and the formation of the new nation fluctuated. According to Andrew Levy, in his book The First Emancipator: The Forgotten Story of Robert Carter-The Founding Father Who Freed His Slaves: “It is infuriating, however, to consider that we have been unable to find a single use for Robert Carter, He does not sooth us, excuse us, or help us explain ourselves” (194-95).

Robert Carter does have a use. Students of American history need to use historical habits of mind to recognize individuals who have made a difference in history. Fifth graders learn about the slave trade, the institution of slavery and the abolition of slavery. Even though Carter does not have the esteem of his peers, he should be recognized for the courage he had in addressing the contradiction of slavery in his own life. Being a slaveholder was an inherited position for Carter and it took great thought and determination to carry out his plan for manumission of his hundreds of slaves. Carter's intentions and how he executed them are noteworthy especially considering the time during which he lived. Levy's book provides the background for the children's story The Carter Family and the Deed of Gift.

Discussion and Analysis

Robert Carter III, the grandson of Tidewater legend Robert “King” Carter, was born into the largest circles of Virginia's Colonial aristocracy. He was close by and kin to the Washingtons and Lees and a ally and gaze to Thomas Jefferson and George Mason. But on September 5, 1791, Carter severed his ties with these glamorous elite at the stroke of a pen. In a article he called his Deed of Gift, Carter announced his intent to set free almost five century slaves in the biggest single proceed of liberation in the history of American slavery before the Emancipation Proclamation. How did Carter do well in the very action that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson asserted they passionately yearned but were powerless to effect? And why has his name all but disappeared from the annals of American history? In this haunting, glaringly initial work, Andrew Levy traces the confluence of circumstance, conviction, conflict, and passion that led to Carter's exceptional act. At the dawn of the Revolutionary conflict, Carter was one of the most wealthy men in America, the proprietor of tens of thousands of acres of land, factories, ironworks-and hundreds of slaves. But incrementally, nearly automatically, Carter increased to seem that what he possessed was not really his.

In an era of empty Anglican piety, Carter experienced a feverish religious vision that impelled him to ...