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HOW A MAN HELPED CLOSE A LOOPHOLE IN ILLINOIS’ SLAVERY LAW  
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Sydney Stallworth, Brad Wynn
February 7, 2024
ksdk.com
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_ "Pete" was one of many slaves considered property of the Jarrot
family in Cahokia Heights. He sued for his freedom, and the lawsuit
closed Illinois' slavery loophole. Pete's lawyer, Lyman Trumbull, went
on to shape the 13th Amendment. _

The Old Jarrot Mansion, Now a State Historic Site, Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency, KSDK.com

 

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. — The Jarrot Mansion
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Cahokia Heights, Illinois. It’s now recognized as the oldest brick
building in the state of Illinois and a state historic site. 

In the 1840s, a man named Pete lived on the mansion grounds as one of
the many slaves or "indentured servants," considered property of the
Jarrot family. He eventually sued for his freedom and began to change
Illinois' history.

"He was the vanguard of this case that basically outlaws slavery in
totality for the entire state of Illinois," said Brad Winn, the site
manager at Jarrot Mansion and a local historian.

We know it now as the "Land of Lincoln,"  but Illinois’ stance on
slavery hasn't always been so firmly planted against it.

"A servant for life? How is that any different than an enslaved
individual?" Winn said.

It's the same question Joseph 'Pete' Jarrot asked himself after
decades of living in servitude. In 1843, he brought that question to
the St. Claire County Court.

Winn said, Pete was "suing not only for his freedom, but for back
wages owed to him as a worker in the Jarrot family."

In court, Pete's "master," Julia Jarrot, argued he was a slave. She
claimed he was descended from a woman who was also a slave in Illinois
before the passage of the Northwest Ordinance, and therefore, he
wasn't entitled to any wages.

"In 1787, the United States-- this is the Articles of Confederation,
by the way-- passed a law called the Northwest Ordinance, which
basically outlaws slavery north of the Ohio River," Winn said.
"Illinois is north of the Ohio River. So, slavery should not exist
anywhere in Illinois." 

To keep slavery legal, the law of the land was tweaked in 1818,
cementing the changes in the 1818 Illinois State Constitution,
Illinois’ first constitution as a state in the Union.

Illinois entered the Union that year as a "free" state on paper, but
we know people were still being held in bondage. 

Essentially, Illinois was operating in a loophole, Winn said.

"Slavery was allowed to continue with legal backing because … laws
were created to sidestep the word 'slave' and call them indentured
servants," he said.

Those laws, cemented in the 1818 constitution, said it was legal to
hold a person as an indentured servant. Some servants would be held to
work servitude terms that would last a lifetime.

The 1818 Illinois State Constitution reads, "Neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude shall hereafter be introduced into this state."

The word "hereafter" essentially "grandfathered in" slavery, meaning
slaves who already lived in the state before the issuance of the
constitution would not be freed.

Pete argued this was wrong. 

"His case was originally heard in Belleville," Winn said. "The court
ruled in favor of Pete's 'master,' Julia."

But Pete appealed, and in 1845, his case was taken before the Illinois
Supreme Court.  

"The court ruled in accordance with the Northwest Ordinance of 1787,
slavery cannot exist in any form," Winn said.

In 1848, the Illinois State Constitution was changed to reflect the
ruling, declaring "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude in the state..." 

Pete's impact was permanently etched into history. His case became one
of the many to hold America accountable to its declaration that "all
men are created equal."

"I think it's incredible to imagine what it would have been like to
take those first steps, to try to cross the river, to sue to win your
freedom," Winn said. "Thank goodness that they did." 

The influence of Pete's case stretched far beyond Illinois. His
lawyer, Lyman Trumbull, ended up being one of the crafters of the 13th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery
nationwide.

KSDK.COM: To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On
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* slavery
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* Illinois
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* Black History Month
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* Lyman Trumbull
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* 13th amendment
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