In “The Brutal Truth Revealed: The 1837 Case of Dorcas Allen,” Dr. Alison Mann will discuss a traumatic event that occurred at 1315 Duke Street in 1837 and its legal implications and aftermath that was the basis of her 2010 doctoral dissertation. In August 1837, a Georgetown resident sold Dorcas Allen and her four children to James H. Birch, a District of Columbia slave trader. He transported them to the Duke Street pen, and that evening Allen killed her two youngest children and was restrained from harming the others.

In October, she appeared before the District Court in Alexandria and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Her case drew the attention of prominent white men, such as then-Congressman John Quincy Adams and District Attorney Francis Scott Key, but remains a story largely unknown. This is story of African American agency in the most desperate of circumstances…when an enslaved mother feels death is better for her children than life in bondage.

Dr. Alison Mann serves as the Historian at the National Museum of American Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State as a subject matter expert in the field of diplomatic history, 19th century American history, public history, and education. Before joining the museum, she was Assistant Professor of History at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA, teaching courses in public history, multicultural America, and early American history.  She has also taught diplomatic history and the history of American slavery and abolitionism at the University of New Hampshire and Franklin Pierce University and worked as a Park Ranger for Boston African American National Historic Site. She holds an MA and Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire, and a BA from Rutgers University. Proceeds from the event support Freedom House Museum.  

The event begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 18 at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum. Tickets are $15; OHA members and volunteers $12 at Alexandriava.gov/Shop.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact Jim Holloway at jim.holloway@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4994, Virginia Relay 711.

If you prefer communication in another language, free interpretation and translation services are available to you, please email LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or call 703-746-3960.

Alexandria at 275: Connecting to our past to define a brighter future.

Since its 1749 founding, the historic city of Alexandria has played a major role in our nation’s story and reflected its progress toward inclusivity. Join us at events from April through September as we mark Alexandria’s 275th anniversary and embark on the next chapter in our city’s vibrant history at alexandriava.gov/ALX275.