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Let the Oppressed Go Free: Abolitionism in Revolutionary America

  • July 5, 2026 2:00 PM

  • Historic Rock Ford

    881 Rockford Road
    Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602
Ticket Price $5.72-$11.54 Register Now
Description

Historic Rock Ford's Untold Stories of the Revolution Lecture Series welcomes Nicholas P. Wood as he presents “Let the Oppressed Go Free: Abolitionism in Revolutionary America.”  

In 1764, on the heels of the French and Indian War, slavery was legal in every British colony and poised for expansion as Britain acquired new territories in the Americas and Africa. Yet within just two decades - by the end of the Revolutionary War - six northern states had taken decisive steps toward abolition, with two more soon to follow. In this talk, Professor Nicholas P. Wood explores how the American Revolution reshaped public attitudes toward slavery by intersecting with preexisting Quaker antislavery movement along with Black resistance. Pennsylvania became the first state to pass an abolition law in 1780, and this decision can only be understood in the context, war, antislavery theology, and Black activism. 

This presentation will begin at 2 PM in the Langmuir Education Room located on the first floor of the Rock Ford Barn. Prior to the lecture, attendees may visit the Snyder Gallery and our 2026 Focus Exhibit. The Snyder Gallery closes at 4 PM. 

About the Presenter: Nicholas P. Wood is an associate professor of history at Spring Hill College (Mobile, AL) and the author of “Let the Oppressed Go Free: Abolitionism in Colonial and  Revolutionary America,” published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2025. He earned his B.A. and M.A. at Rutgers University, his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Library Company of Philadelphia and Yale University. His essays have appeared in venues such as Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, the Journal of the Early Republic, and the William and Mary Quarterly.
 

Date & Time

Sun, Jul 5, 2026 2:00 PM

Venue Details

Historic Rock Ford

881 Rockford Road
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602 Historic Rock Ford
Rock Ford Foundation

Historic Rock Ford is comprised of the circa 1794 General Edward Hand Mansion and the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts. Our historic site is situated on 33 acres of gardens, woods and grounds surrounded by Lancaster County Central Park located in the southeast corner of Lancaster City.  This remarkable estate offers visitors the opportunity to encounter the outstanding original late-Georgian style architecture of the Hand Mansion, to experience its rooms furnished in exquisite period style while, in the Snyder Gallery, to explore a nationally recognized collection of Lancaster County decorative arts dating from circa 1760 to 1820 including furniture, portraiture, long rifles, tall case clocks, silver, and much more. 


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