Samuel Blackburn Published Letter
This letter responds to a note informing Blackburn that he had been nominated for a seat in the senate, despite the fact that the writers didn't know his views on suffrage. Blackburn regrets their unwanted efforts but lays out his views anyway. He has supported suffrage for all free white males over 21 who either pay taxes or have served in the militia, ever since 1781 when he saw loyal citizens denied that right. He also says that representation to the Legislature should be based on free white population only, equating the slaves of the East with the cattle of the West. The remainder of the letter concerns reform and the upcoming constitutional convention.
Dates
- 1829 March
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
This letter responds to a note informing Blackburn that he had been nominated for a seat in the senate, despite the fact that the writers didn't know his views on suffrage. Blackburn regrets their unwanted efforts but lays out his views anyway.
Biographical/Historical Note
Samuel Blackburn was born in 1759 in Frederick, Virginia to Benjamin and Mary Blackburn. He married Anne Matthews on March 23, 1780, and they had no children. He served in the Revolutionary War as a general, and received 850 acres in Ohio for his service. He graduated from Washington College in 1785 and then taught at the Academy of Washington, in Georgia. He became a member of the Georgia legislature in 1795, but returned to Virginia to practice law in 1796. Blackburn died on March 2, 1835, in Staunton County, Virginia. In his will, he provided for his 46 slaves to emigrate to Liberia.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
This collection is the property of Special Collections.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository