CONWAY — In honor of the enslaved man who sued for his freedom in the 18th century in a case that laid the foundation for the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts, July 8 is officially Massachusetts Emancipation/Quock Walker Day.

Following the lead of the state Legislature and former Gov. Charlie Baker, who signed a bill into law officially marking July 8 as Quock Walker Day in 2022, the Conway Selectboard approved a similar proclamation on Thursday, urging residents to “celebrate the tenacity and audacity of Quock Walker.”

Walker was born in Massachusetts in 1753 to enslaved parents and was promised freedom by his owner James Caldwell. However, Caldwell died before Walker was freed and Nathaniel Jennison, his new owner, refused to free him, causing Walker to flee the farm. Jennison found him and beat him severely as a punishment. As a result, Walker sued Jennison for assault and battery and won, which set the foundation for the abolition of slavery in the state.

For Selectboard Chair Philip Kantor, the proclamation is an opportunity to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts, while also tying in Conway’s local history. In the late 18th century, the town refused to adopt both the state and federal constitutions “almost entirely because of the town’s feelings about slavery,” which was laid out in a letter written by residents Malachi Maynard and Samuel Field, who admonished George Washington for not freeing his own slaves.

“When I saw this was going on, I knew Conway had to participate in this,” Kantor said. “From 1788, when we refused to adopt the federal constitution, we sent a letter to all of the newspapers in the country explaining why, and we very famously called George Washington a hypocrite.”

In the letter, Maynard and Field criticized Washington in his fight for liberty because he did not extend that fight to the several hundred free-born African people he had enslaved.

“At the same time he is brandishing his sword, in the behalf of freedom for himself,” reads the 1788 letter, which was published in the Northampton Gazette, Washington “is likewise tyranizing over two or three hundred miserable Africans, as free born as himself.”

The authors justified the town’s rejection of the constitutions on similar language stated in the Declaration of Independence.

“All men are born free and equal. This is our motto. We have said it — we cannot go back,” they wrote. “Indeed no man can justify himself in enslaving another, unless he can produce a commission under the broad seal of Heaven, purporting license therefor from him who created all men, and can therefore dispose of them at his pleasure.”

Kantor said Conway’s government delegates were refused reimbursement for lodging and meals as a result of their rejection of the state and federal constitutions. He added this rebellious nature and residents’ steadfast belief in their values is exactly what the town is all about.

“To me, that’s in our DNA,” Kantor said, before joking that “like usual, we got it right and the whole rest of the world got it wrong.”

This proclamation of Massachusetts Emancipation/Quock Walker Day in Conway, according to Kantor and Town Administrator Veronique Blanchard, came together at the last minute so there are no ceremonies or events planned for Saturday. However, Kantor said he “definitely” wants to plan something for next year.

The event could also coincide with marking the visit of Samuel Adams, who reportedly came to town in 1782 to address Conway’s Town Meeting.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

]]>