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The Legacy of the Lemmon Slave Case and the Contribution of John Jay II: A Conversation with Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt, Author of The Eight
October 29, 2023 @ 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm EDT
Slaves Waiting for Sale by Eyre Crowe, an English painter who arrived in Richmond in March 1853 and witnessed several auctions of enslaved people.
In-Person Only • Free & Open to the Public
Location: Jay Heritage Center — 210 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY 10580
Presented by the Historical Society of the New York Courts and the Jay Heritage Center
Co-Sponsored by the Westchester County Bar Association and the Westchester Black Bar Association
The Jay family’s legacy of abolition work is epitomized by John Jay II’s defending eight enslaved women and children in 1852. Now known as the Lemmon Slave Case, the court ruled that the eight were free upon arriving on New York’s free soil, and the case became a battle cry for secession when appeals defied the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford. This program dives into the case, the dramatic events and characters, and its impact on the State and nation — with a special guest appearance from a descendant of two of the formerly enslaved.
ITINERARY
3:00 – 4:00 PM — JAY HERITAGE CENTER SITE TOUR
4:00 – 5:00 PM — PROGRAM
5:00 – 6:00 PM — RECEPTION
FEATURING A CONVERSATION WITH
Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt, Retired Associate Judge, New York Court of Appeals; Author, The Eight: The Lemmon Slave Case and the Fight for Freedom and President Emeritus & Inaugural Albert M. Rosenblatt Legal History Scholar, Historical Society of the New York Courts
MODERATED BY
Hon. Philippe Solages, Jr., Acting Supreme Court Justice, Court of Claims Judge, Nassau County Criminal Court
WITH SPECIAL GUEST
Luanne Wills-Merrell, Descendant of two of the eight enslaved people