America’s “Great Compromiser” condemned slavery in public. Then his slave sued him.

Charlotte Dupuy’s Failed 1829 Freedom Suit Against Clay

Charlotte Dupuy took on one of America’s most famous statesmen in court – and lost. Born into slavery in 1787, she was bought by Henry Clay who moved her to his Ashland plantation.

When Clay became Secretary of State, the Dupuy family worked at Decatur House near the White House. Then in 1829, Charlotte shocked Clay by suing for her freedom, claiming her mother was free before her birth.

After 18 months in court, she lost the case. Clay sent her to New Orleans as punishment, finally freeing her in 1840.

The Ashland estate in Kentucky now tells her brave story through its “Traces: Slavery at Ashland” tour.

Charlotte Was Born Into Slavery While Her Family Gained Freedom

Charlotte Stanley was born around 1787 in Cambridge, Maryland. Her parents Rachel and George Stanley were slaves on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

George bought his freedom by 1792 and worked to free his wife Rachel and two children, Leah and Jonathan. Charlotte stayed enslaved by Daniel Parker while her family lived free.

When she was nine in 1796, Parker sold her to James Condon, a local tailor, for $100. Condon’s household had his wife, apprentices, and another enslaved person.

The Tailor’s Family Kept Talking About Setting Her Free

Mrs. Condon often told people Charlotte would someday be free.

The Condons made verbal promises to Charlotte about letting her go after she reached a certain age. Charlotte kept in touch with her free mother Rachel through regular visits.

For Condon, buying Charlotte helped him join the Southern master class though he hadn’t owned slaves before. No written proof of any freedom agreement existed, which later hurt Charlotte’s legal fight.

Her Owner Dragged Her To Kentucky Against Her Will

In spring 1805, eighteen-year-old Charlotte was forced from Maryland to Lexington, Kentucky when Condon moved his business. He opened his tailoring shop downtown and listed Charlotte as his slave in Kentucky records.

The move cut Charlotte off from her family back in Maryland.

Condon later moved his shop to a better spot on Main Street, possibly near the local slave trading pens.

She Convinced Her Owner To Sell Her To Henry Clay

Charlotte met Aaron Dupuy in 1806. Aaron was enslaved at Henry Clay’s Ashland plantation but worked at a downtown Lexington nail factory.

After they fell in love and married, Charlotte talked Condon into selling her to Clay so she could live with her husband. On May 12, 1806, Clay bought Charlotte for $450.

The newlyweds worked as house servants at Ashland, Aaron as Clay’s personal servant and Charlotte as nursemaid to the Clay children.

The Family Moved To Washington With Their Famous Owner

Clay won election to Congress in 1810, taking the Dupuy family with him to Washington, D.C.

They lived and worked at Decatur House on Lafayette Square, across from the White House. Charlotte and Aaron had two children during this time: Charles and Mary Ann.

Life in Washington gave them more freedom than back on the Kentucky plantation.

Charlotte met important political figures and got to know the growing free Black community in the capital.

Andrew Jackson’s Election Created Her Chance For Freedom

When Adams picked Clay as Secretary of State in 1824, the Dupuys moved even closer to power. Charlotte took trips to visit her free relatives in Maryland during these years.

Everything changed when Andrew Jackson beat John Quincy Adams in the 1828 election. Clay turned down a Supreme Court job and planned to head back to Kentucky.

Charlotte knew going back to Kentucky meant she and her family would stay slaves for life.

She Sued One Of America’s Most Powerful Politicians

Attorney Robert Beale filed Charlotte’s freedom petition on February 13, 1829, in the U. S. Circuit Court of D.C. Her lawsuit claimed freedom based on two main points: her mother’s free status and Condon’s broken promises.

The legal rule called “partus sequitur ventrem” said children followed their mother’s status. Her petition asked the court to stop Clay from taking her out of D.C. during the case. Clay felt shocked and angry about the lawsuit.

For 18 Months She Lived As A Free Woman In Washington

The court granted Charlotte’s request to stay in Washington during the legal battle. Clay went back to Kentucky while Charlotte worked for wages in Martin Van Buren’s household at Decatur House.

Clay complained that for a year and a half, Charlotte acted as “her own mistress” in Washington. He could take Aaron and the children back to Kentucky, but Charlotte stayed free to work on her own.

The Court Crushed Her Hopes And Clay Got Revenge

In 1830, the court ruled against Charlotte. They found her mother was freed after Charlotte’s birth, not before.

The judges also decided Condon’s promises didn’t matter once Clay owned her. Clay admitted Charlotte’s actions had created problems among other slaves at his plantation.

When Charlotte refused to go back to Kentucky, Clay had her arrested and thrown in jail in Alexandria.

Clay Sent Her Far Away From Her Husband And Children

Clay shipped Charlotte off to New Orleans to work in his daughter’s household. She stayed enslaved for another ten years, separated from Aaron and her children back in Kentucky.

Clay used her son Charles as his traveling companion. Charlotte’s brave stand inspired other enslaved people at Ashland to question their bondage too.

Her case joined a growing pattern of freedom suits challenging slavery in Washington, D.C.

After Years Apart, The Family Finally Reunited As Free People

On October 12, 1840, Clay finally freed Charlotte and her daughter Mary Ann in New Orleans. He kept son Charles enslaved until 1844, still using him to prove what a good master he was.

Aaron Dupuy gained his freedom either before Clay died in 1852 or through Clay’s will. The 1860 Fayette County, Kentucky census listed Charlotte and Aaron as free persons living together.

Charlotte’s groundbreaking lawsuit came a full 17 years before Dred Scott’s famous case and showed the deep contradictions in Clay’s public anti-slavery stance versus his private actions.

Visiting Henry Clay Home (Ashland), Kentucky

You can visit Henry Clay’s mansion at 120 Sycamore Road in Lexington to learn about Charlotte Dupuy’s 1829 freedom lawsuit that challenged Clay’s contradictory stance on slavery.

Regular mansion tours cost $25 for adults and $15 for students. The specialized “Traces: Slavery at Ashland” tour runs Tuesday through Saturday.

Tours operate Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 1pm-4pm. Buy tickets online ahead of time since capacity is limited.

The 17-acre grounds include historic buildings and gardens.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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