Chapter 16

Robert Reconsiders

As Robert began to re-evaluate his life and his future, his views on slavery began to grow more complicated. He was an early member of an anti-slavery group called the New York Manumission Society, alongside prominent figures such as John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and fellow spy Hercules Mulligan. Together, they worked outlaw the importation of enslaved people and protect free Blacks from being kidnapped and sold south. He also worked to restore his family’s fortunes and collect old debts forgotten during the war years. This work kept him so busy that he stopped checking in on Liss and Harry for almost two years.