Some enslaved people found themselves in fortunate situations while a slave legally was dealt with by the slaveholder as a free black, which means they had control over their time and labor. Race and slavery petitions in North Carolina are ripe with a handful of tales of slaveholders granting freedom to enslaved persons. Enslaved people gained emancipation either by rendering long-term service [merited emancipation], saving the life of a slaveholder or a wealthy white person, being set free by a husband or wife, or in some cases; it was a slaveholder fulfilling a promise or seeking to emancipate their child. Unfortunately, the few enslaved persons held in virtual freedom still lacked legal freedom and could return to chattel slavery.

It seems in enough cases that those held in virtual freedom were often the children of slaveholders. Virtual freedom also served as a custom to provide consolation for enslaved people who were denied emancipation or were unable to be granted emancipation. A famous case of this occurred with Quakers in the 1770s. Quakers, that is, those who disagreed with the institution of slavery, attempted to free a number of slaves during the revolutionary period, but the state did not allow their freedom to stand, and many of those freed were rounded up and re-sold. A few bold Quakers purchased enslaved persons for their organization to deal with this problem, which meant they were slaveholders in theory; however, as John Hope Franklin noted, they were enslaved in virtual freedom. 

Read more about Quakers HERE

Read petitions concerning virtual freedom HERE and HERE

Quakers were not the only ones to practice holding slaves in what can be called virtual freedom. A number of free blacks who were able to buy the freedom of their family members often held their family in virtual freedom until and if emancipation could be awarded. Emancipation became harder to acquire following David Walker’s appeal and Nat Turner’s rebellion. 

For their meritorious services, William Hollister sought to emancipate his slave Thomas, commonly called Tom Hollister, and Mary, wife of a mulatto named Richard Smith. During 20 years as his slave, the owner explains, Thomas made several voyages to the West Indies and New York “where he might have easily obtained his freedom by absconding.” During 15 to 16 years as his slave, Mary successfully managed his household and “as a nurse to his children.” She had been living in virtual freedom for the past five or six years. Petition HERE

Virtual freedom teaches a very unique and necessary lesson about slavery, as John Hope Franklin noted, “thus, it can be seen that within the framework of the peculiar institution [another name for slavery], there were innumerable variations and exceptions to the code,” it is impossible to package slavery into a single box.