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Fr. Stephen Dubuisson S.J. records the arguments for and against the people enslaved by the Maryland Province.

Simple versions of the transcription and translation are included below. Annotated versions may be downloaded in PDF format.

A report on the eight postulates proposed during the Maryland Provincial Congregation, and the decisions regarding each. Postulates six and eight deal with a proposal to sell the Province's slaves and indicates the sharp debate among the Jesuits over…

In this letter to the Superior General, Fr. Havermans laments the "grim and displeasing" sale of the Jesuits' slaves. In a postscript dated November 12, he reports the anguish expressed by enslaved people at Newtown as they were being gathered for…

Fr. McSherry wrote to Fr. Roothaan, the Jesuit Superior General, about a conversation he had with the Archbishop of Baltimore, who suggested that the Jesuits consider selling their land and slaves and devote the proceeds "to purposes of education."…

Fr. McSherry wrote to Fr. Roothaan to follow up on his previous letter urging that the Jesuits consider selling their slaves. That spring, the United States fell into the throes of the Panic of 1837. McSherry lamented that if they sold then, they…

Rev. Francis Vespre, SJ records twenty distinct conditions placed on the sale of the people owned by the Jesuits. Conditions 1-8 have to do with the religious and family life of the people who are to be sold, and conditions 9-20 have to do with the…

In a letter to the Father General, Eccleston pleads for Mulledy to remain in the Society. He argues that the shock of his dismissal would create a scandal in the US.

In a letter to the Superior General, Fr. Dubuisson reports on various goings on in the province, including the slave sale. "The Fr. Prov. has a formidable task to accomplish, that of selling...the R. Fr. knows what." He takes issue with one of the…

Amongst other topics, Fr. Vespre writes to Roothaan that the province will have difficulty realizing the money from the slave sale because they were paid at a 10-year term rather than on account. Vespre explains that the province is in a position to…

In a letter to the Father General, Vespre explains the rental and management of the former plantation lands. He suggests ways for streamlining their oversight. He also expresses doubt that the Jesuits will ever receive the full proceeds from the…