The first emancipator

Profiles Robert Carter III, a Virginian who wrote the Deed of Gift and set free nearly 500 slaves in a single act of liberation prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. Carter built a church for blacks and whites and offered protection of and privileges for slaves that created conflict with neighbors, friends, family, and government officials. Examines why and how Carter succeeded in his action and why he is rarely mentioned in historical accounts of American slavery.