(SLAVERY) Motion in the landmark case of David Barley vs Reb

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(SLAVERY.) Motion in the landmark case of David Barley vs. Rebecca Ringgold, who sought her freedom. 3 printed pages. 10 x 6 inches, on one folding sheet, headed "David Barley vs. Rebecca Ringgold and Others . . . Motion of Appellees to Dismiss Appeal"; short separations at folds, minor foxing. Kent County, MD, June 1853

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In this well-documented case, Rebecca Ringgold and her two children were enslaved in Maryland's Eastern Shore, and were brought to Missouri by their owner for less than two years before returning to Maryland. She then claimed freedom under an 1831 Maryland statute forbidding slaves from being imported into Maryland. A lower court had declared her free, and her owner had appealed the decision. This Court of Appeals motion was filed by her lawyer attempting to block the appeal. It sets forth the basics of the case, and denies that "the indictment and conviction of the master is a pre-requisite to the liberty of the slave . . . The freedom given by the Act is single, absolute and unconditional."

The case was resolved the following year with a ruling that Rebecca and her children should remain enslaved. None traced in OCLC or at auction.