WI George Wythe lives?

Glen

Moderator
Hmmm....what if this guy didn't get poisoned? A longer life for the Father of American Jurisprudence, even a couple years more, could lead to a stronger movement towards abolition of slavery in Virginia, and that would have huge knock-off effects....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wythe
 

Glen

Moderator
Hmmm....what if this guy didn't get poisoned? A longer life for the Father of American Jurisprudence, even a couple years more, could lead to a stronger movement towards abolition of slavery in Virginia, and that would have huge knock-off effects....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wythe

Ooooh....forgot about this one! Have to brush it off someday for the POD for a full fledged timeline....
 
I wonder whether he might indeed have achieved a gradual abolition of slavery in Virgina. If that happened I suspect that slavery would have been isolated.
 

Glen

Moderator
I wonder whether he might indeed have achieved a gradual abolition of slavery in Virgina. If that happened I suspect that slavery would have been isolated.

That is somewhat what I'm wondering as well. With Virginia free (and indeed setting the standard for such), I think the history of North America would be very different.
 
The liklihood of George Wythe being the catilus to abolish slavery in Virginia is doubtful, but there is the power of one to start the waterfall going.

How influential was Wythe in Virginia state politics? What would have been the obstacles in Virginia state politics in the late 1700's, early 1800's for the emancipation of slaves? Who was the largest slave holder at the time in Virginia?

What effect would have George Washington had, had he freed his slaves in his lifetime instead of when his wife died?

Also, I wonder how receptive Lafayette would have been had he stayed in the US, in Virginia to aid in abolishing slavery instead of going back to France to aid in the French Revolution?

The ripple effect of Virginia abolishing slavery in the early 1800's would be astounding to the US.
 

Glen

Moderator
I think he could have been the catalyst. Just ruling a few times that the color of a man's skin does not change the status of his terms of service would have been a huge step. Putting Africans on par with European indentured servants would have made a huge difference (just to give one example).

The liklihood of George Wythe being the catilus to abolish slavery in Virginia is doubtful, but there is the power of one to start the waterfall going.

How influential was Wythe in Virginia state politics? What would have been the obstacles in Virginia state politics in the late 1700's, early 1800's for the emancipation of slaves? Who was the largest slave holder at the time in Virginia?

What effect would have George Washington had, had he freed his slaves in his lifetime instead of when his wife died?

Also, I wonder how receptive Lafayette would have been had he stayed in the US, in Virginia to aid in abolishing slavery instead of going back to France to aid in the French Revolution?

The ripple effect of Virginia abolishing slavery in the early 1800's would be astounding to the US.
 
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