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The fact that most people don't know the name of James Somerset is a sad indictment of how history is taught in this country. Somerset had been brought to Britain from Massachusetts against his will as a slave by a Scottish slaver called Charles Stewart. After he got here, Somerset ran away and then, when Stewart tried to re-enslave him, he sought to assert his freedom with the support of abolitionists.
The Somerset vs Stewart case of 1772 - in which the court found that there was not and never had been a common law institution of slavery in England and Wales, and therefore that a black man setting foot here would instantly become a free man - was a monumental moment in our country's history and set the scene for Britain eventually taking a global lead in combating the scourge of slavery in the 19th century. There were supposedly around 15,000 black people living in Britain at the time, many of them living in some form of de facto slavery, and the court's ruling was a cause for great celebration among the black community, and remains a proud moment in British history centuries later.
Children should learn James Somerset's name in school.
Never heard of the chap, but I'll definitely learn more about him now.