# Talk:John Laurens

In the article it mentions how Laurens missed the Hamilton/Schuyler wedding because of his parole as a prisoner of war, when he had been exchanged in November, 1780, and Hamilton and Schuyler had their wedding on December 14th of that year. I don't think it would take over a month for him to get to Albany from Philadelphia, especially if he'd be riding fast considering he'd most likely be extremely excited for his closest friend's marriage. Maybe instead of missing his marriage because of being a POW we could put missed chances for glory on the battle field? It's just a suggestion.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by K0tiklams (talk • contribs) 12:08, 24 July 2020 (UTC) 

According to Gregory D. Massey, a history professor at Freed–Hardeman University and author of a Laurens biography:Laurens speaks more clearly to us today than other men of the American Revolution whose names are far more familiar. Unlike all other southern political leaders of the time, he believed that blacks shared a similar nature with whites, which included a natural right to liberty. "We have sunk the Africans & their descendants below the Standard of Humanity," he wrote, "and almost render'd them incapable of that Blessing which equal Heaven bestow'd upon us all." Whereas other men considered property the basis of liberty, Laurens believed liberty that rested on the sweat of slaves was not deserving of the name. To that extent, at least, his beliefs make him our contemporary, a man worthy of more attention than the footnote he has been in most accounts of the American Revolution.I have an issue with the underlined section.  It is not true that ALL other southern political leaders did not think blacks shared a similar nature including a natural right to liberty. To name just one, Thomas Jefferson "thought that slavery was contrary to the laws of nature, which decreed that everyone had a right to personal liberty."
SOURCE: https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/jefferson-slavery/jefferson-s-attitudes-toward-slavery/#:~:text=Calling%20it%20a%20%E2%80%9Cmoral%20depravity,a%20right%20to%20personal%20liberty.
Wiklightenment (talk) 20:22, 7 November 2022 (UTC)

I have erased this section as it is pretty clearly overstated and not accurate. Wiklightenment (talk) 17:52, 8 November 2022 (UTC)
The factual dispute here appears to be limited to Massey's words "all other".  I have reverted the bulk deletion, but we can agree that "all other" goes too far.  My edit addresses that valid point by reframing the quoted material to omit "all other".  The remaining substance of Massey's quote (and the embedded quote from Laurens) is the properly attributed opinion of a biographer/historian, in an appropriate section of the article.  Lwarrenwiki (talk) 06:54, 14 March 2023 (UTC)
Thank you for your help! Wiklightenment (talk) 18:44, 15 March 2023 (UTC)

We should make John Laurens’ spouse Alexander Hamilton
(Where my Hamilfans at?) Hamiltrash512 (talk) 00:14, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

 Already declined See previous discussions of Lams shipping (fandom) content related to Hamilton (musical). Lwarrenwiki (talk) 01:05, 4 April 2024 (UTC)
Happy to see a Lams fan, but this is based on historical Laurens, and he had a wife and a kid. This would be considered vandalism. I am very late to this, haha... Ali Beary (talk2me!) (stalk me?!) 18:12, 17 January 2025 (UTC)
They did indeed have a relationship but to add inaccurate information to a wiki page is vandalism. JLAH1754 (talk) 02:58, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

I propose that the section on his views to slavery requires some rewriting. The quote 'Laurens was set apart from other leaders in Revolutionary-era South Carolina by his belief that black and white people shared a similar nature and could aspire to freedom in a republican society" rubs me the wrong way, and feels like a rather biased portrayal of Laurens.
Laurens himself owned slaves, (Shrewsberry accompanied him during the war) and while he wanted black people to fight on the American side during the war, he did not believe they were equals to white people. Yes, he was indeed progressive for his time with his idea for the black battalion, but not as progressive as people would like to believe. This section of the article feels like it could use some nuance with some more primary sources from Laurens regarding his views on racial issues. JLAH1754 (talk) 02:56, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

Sure, I’ll work on that. Ali Beary (talk!) 15:09, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
 Not done @JLAH1754, I can find no sources except Tumblr saying that John either liked or thrived in having slaves. I also found that he apparently tried to get his father to release the family slaves, but Henry refused. Please try to find sources that prove he himself owned slaves and that he wasn't entirely anti-slavery, and I will add it. Thank you! Ali Beary (talk!) 18:22, 20 February 2025 (UTC)