“History of the Enslaved in Massachusetts” will be the subject at the Tuesday evening, Feb. 24 meeting of the Lynnfield Historical Society at 7 p.m. in the Centre Congregational Church. Vijay Joyce will be the guest speaker. He is the founder of Rekindled History, a Preservation and Tour company that uses his educational foundation and fascination with the past to share the lore of New England.
Long before Massachusetts took up the Abolitionist cause, slavery actually existed in the state. Estimates are that 2.2% of the population was enslaved here before the American Revolution, mostly concentrated in industrial and coastal towns. Unlike the American South, enslaved people in Massachusetts had the legal right to file suits in court.
Speaker Joyce will describe the painful accounts and the lasting legacy of those enslaved in Massachusetts. Modern historians continue to unearth more details of their experience in bondage here centuries ago.
Parking is available in the rear of Centre Congregational church on Main Street. Refreshment will be served. All are welcome.
