James N. Wood’s Clear Statement of Opposition to Slavery in the Indiana Territory

No matter where you look in U.S. history, the institution of slavery rears its deplorable head, and the Indiana Territory was no different. While provisions in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 expressly outlawed slavery in the lands north of the Ohio River, this did not entirely prevent the holding of enslaved people within the Indiana Territory, nor did it stop Indiana’s early white settlers from debating the topic.

In fact, a special Convention on the topic was held in 1802 in Vincennes, the territorial capital (1800 - 1813). William Henry Harrison, Territorial Governor, called this convention to discuss revoking Article VI of the Northwest Ordinance, Article VI being that which forbade the holding of slaves in the Northwest Territory (of which Indiana was originally a part). [1]

While researching another project recently, I had the chance to review a list of individuals that signed a petition to the President of the United States and the members of the U.S. Senate. This petition, which is believed to have been circulated in 1809, requests the removal of William Henry Harrison from the position of Territorial Governor and his replacement with someone better suited to represent the interests and of the territory’s citizens, including, most notably, their opposition to the “Introduction of Negroes” into the Indiana Territory. [2]

Now, it’s essential to understand that this reference to the “introduction of negroes” was in response to William Henry Harrison’s continued efforts to gradually legalize slavery in the Indiana Territory, but that does not mean all of those who signed the petition were anti-slavery. In reality, some where just anti-negro, and did not want African Americans in the Indiana Territory, whether enslaved or free. One need only look further into Indiana’s early history (and the history of the “Illinois Country”) to confirm this.

Being fairly familiar with the early debate over slavery in Indiana, I wasn’t surprised by the transcript of this petition. Instead, what struck me most strongly was the simple, but clear statement made by one of it’s signers: James N. Wood.

This man is the only signer of the petition to pen anything other than his own name. He obviously wanted his voice heard and his intent in signing this document to be well understood, and so, he made his statement quite clear for any who would read it: “I am aposed [sic] to the introduction of slavery.”

This standout early Hoosier in Clark County had sparked my curiosity, leading me to put him on my list of people for further investigation and eventually include in my Historic Hoosiers blog series. Little did I know at the time that I’d stumbled across one of Indiana’s more interesting and notable pioneers.

As I began to research this powerful voice from the Hoosier past and the Indiana Wilderness, I quickly realized that I had a uniquely intriguing subject on my hands and that writing about this James N. Wood would likely require more than just one blog entry. This post, introducing readers to James and explaining how I discovered him, is just the first of what will probably be a series. Stayed tuned. The next installment is already in the works.

Sources:

[1] “Laying the Foundation,” accessed via https://www.in.gov/history/for-educators/all-resources-for-educators/resources/underground-railroad/gwen-crenshaw/laying-the-foundation/

[2] Carter, Clarence Edward, ed., The Territorial Papers of the United States: The Territory of Indiana: 1800 – 1810, Vol 7, United States Government Printing Office, 1939, pages 705 – 707, accessed via HathiTrust.org