Pair of 1770-1771 Documents Mending for Negro Men and Negro Women - Americana

Two early documents regarding "Mending for Negro Men and Negro Women" from Benjamin Kent Esq. to John Sheppard. Some paper loss.

Benjamin Kent (1708–1788) served as the Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1776 to 1777, and subsequently acted in that capacity for a significant portion of Robert Treat Paine's term from 1777 to 1785. He was appointed for seven consecutive terms. Before the American Revolution, Kent gained recognition for representing enslaved individuals in their legal battles for freedom, which played a crucial role in the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts. He was affiliated with the North End Caucus and was a prominent member of the Sons of Liberty, an organization formed to oppose the Stamp Act of 1765. The initiatives of the Sons of Liberty laid the groundwork for the Boston Tea Party. Kent advocated for independence at an early stage of the American Revolution. Kent graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1727.

In 1731, he took on the role of chaplain at Fort George in Maine, where he preached to the settlers in Brunswick. He was ordained as the minister of the Marlborough Congregational Church in 1733, but soon faced accusations of heresy for publicly questioning the doctrines of the Trinity, Absolute Election, and Infant Damnation. After his dismissal, Kent successfully litigated against the Town of Marlborough to recover the remaining balance of his fees and salary. He then pursued legal studies and began practicing law in Boston in 1739, at a time when the city had only seven lawyers, among whom he was initially referred to as 'the Chimney sweeper of the Bar, into whose black dock entered every dirty action.' He resided on the north side of King's Street (now known as State Street, Boston) near the First Town-House. Kent managed divorce cases and represented many enslaved individuals seeking their freedom, including the case of a slave named Pompey who sued his master, Benjamin Faneuil. In 1766, Kent became the first lawyer in the United States to successfully win a case for the freedom of a slave named Jenny Slew. He also achieved a favorable verdict in the Old County Courthouse for a slave named Ceasar Watson in 1771. Additionally, Kent handled the divorce of Lucy Pernam and the freedom suits of Rose and Salem Orne.

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