James Mars sits in a chair for a studio portrait. He faces right and wears a dark suit with a black tie. Under the suit, he wears a vest that sports a gold chain. The very top of his head is bald, but he has curly white hair on the rest of his head. He also has curly and white mutton chop sideburns.

The Immortal Words of James Mars, Freedman

Presented By the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area

Abigail Adam

November 5, 2023

This paper is titled "Advertisement." The paper is faded brown with age and has a few holes in it. It says: "Run away from his Master Isaac Day of Colchester, in the County of Hartford, and Colony of Connecticut in New England, a Mollato Fellow about eighteen Year old, middling Stature, brown Complection, strait course black Hair, a Scar on the inside of one of his great Toes, and another Scar on the Ankle of the same Foot, a shackling Gait when he Walks, but Runs spry, and talks very good English. Whoever takes up said Run away and brings him safe to his said Master shall have Thirty Dollars Reward for his Cost, and Trouble. And all Masters of Vessels are hereby Cautioned not to Transport said Runaway, or take him on Board their Vessels at the Peril of the Law. Dated at Colchester, December the 4th, 1753." It is signed by Isaac Day.

This political cartoon is divided into two sections. The left section is titled "Freedom" and labeled "France." In this part of the cartoon, men lift their hats in celebration as they exit the Bastille. Four men in the front hold up a throne. Jacques Necker, who supported the American revolutionaries, uplifts the French crown in one hand and a cap in the other. The cap is labeled "Liberty." A halo appears above Necker's head. The right section of this cartoon is titled "Slavery" and labeled "Britain." In this picture, English statesmen William Pitt the Younger stands on top of the British king's crown. The men around him are on their knees, begging for mercy. All of them wear slave collars. Pitt holds these collars' chains and an axe in one hand. In the other hand, he waves a flag illustrated with instruments of torture. A tobacco pipe labeled "excise" sticks out of his pocket. The gallows and the executioner's block loom in the background.

This image features a white woman whipping an enslaved girl. The woman wears an expensive hat and dress and raises a whip above her head. The enslaved girl is tied to a post with rope. She fearfully turns away from the white woman.

This photograph features a white Georgian-style tavern. It is two stories tall with eleven windows and one door. The building is framed by trees and bushes on both sides. A split rail fence is by the right side of the house. A stone pillar is by the left side of the house.

In this photograph, James Mars sits for a studio portrait. He wears a long coat and a vest. He holds a rounded cane in his right hand. He is balding, though he has curly white hair on the sides of his head. He also sports white and curly sideburns. Mars smiles in this portrait.

This drawing details Connecticut's Old State House. The building is three stories tall and built in the Greek Revival style. The ground floor features large bricks, Roman arches, and square windows. The second and third floors feature smaller bricks with square windows. The roof features a Greek pediment and marble fencing. A clocktower adorns the top of the building. A statue is on top of the clocktower. Trees are on either side of the State House. A statue stands in front of the building.

This photograph features James Mars's headstone. It also features a plaque titled "The Grave of James Mars." The plaque states "James Mars was born into slavery in Connecticut in 1790 and at the age of eight was the last slave sold in Norfolk. In the years after achieving his freedom when he was twenty-one years old, he married and moved with his family to Hartford. There he became a founder and senior deacon of the Talcott Street Congregational Church. Eleven editions were printed of a pamphlet he wrote that describes some of his experiences of living both in slavery and freedom. He was an important source of historical information for Crissey's History of Norfolk (1900). Buried next to Mars is his father, Jupiter Mars, who fought in the American Revolution. Nearby are the graves of members of the Freedom family, who are also noted in Crissey's History, and elsewhere is the grave of Alanson Freeman, who served in the all-black Connecticut 29th Regiment during the Civil War." The plaque also features an image of James Mars and the cover of his autobiography.

Bibliography

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CT.gov. “Population of Connecticut Towns 1756-1820.” Accessed August 10, 2023. https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Register-Manual/Section-VII/Population-1756-1820.

Find a Grave. "Amos Thompson." Accessed October 6, 2023. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41298946/amos-thompson.

Find a Grave. “James Mars.” Accessed August 10, 2023. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11649346/james-mars.

Hinks, Peter P. Connecticut History. “Gradual Emancipation Reflected the Struggle of Some to Envision Black Freedom.” January 2, 2020. https://connecticuthistory.org/gradual-emancipation-reflected-the-struggle-of-some-to-envision-black-freedom/.

Hinks, Peter P. Connecticut History. “James Mars’ Words Illuminate the Cruelty of Slavery in New England.” Last updated February 24, 2022. https://connecticuthistory.org/james-mars-words-illuminate-the-cruelty-of-slavery-in-new-england/.

Hutchins, Zachary. Documenting the American South. “Life of James Mars, A Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut. Written by Himself: Summary.” Accessed August 10, 2023. https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/mars64/summary.html.

Mars, James. Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut. Hartford, CT: Press of Case, Lockwood, & Company, 1866. https://www.africanamericantrail.org/new-discoveries/james-mars/.

Piascik, Andy. Connecticut History. “Jackson v. Bulloch and the End of Slavery in Connecticut.” Last updated February 24, 2021. https://connecticuthistory.org/jackson-v-bulloch-and-the-end-of-slavery-in-connecticut/.

Yang, Guocun. “From Slavery to Emancipation: The African Americans of Connecticut 1650s-1820s.” PhD diss., University of Connecticut, Storrs, 1999. University of Connecticut ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. https://www.proquest.com/docview/304500817?pq-origsite=primo.