Title: The Jefferson-Lemen compact
First published: 1915
Description: McNaul argues in this address to the Chicago Historical Society that James Lemen, who he describes as a ‘young protégé’ of Thomas Jefferson, was sent by Jefferson in the 1780s to Illinois country to struggle against slavery, which was already well-established in that region before the Ordinance of 1787 prohibited it. Although the evidence for a substantive connection between Jefferson and Lemen doesn’t seem very strong, this is a useful description of the course of the slavery issue in the early years of Illinois.
Subjects: Slavery, Correspondence, Views on slavery, Antislavery movements
Places: Old Northwest, Illinois
People: James Lemen (1760-1823), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
LC classification: E445.I2 M16