Author's Note: The Real History Behind All We Were Promised

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Ashton Lattimore describes how a 2018 afternoon listening to Les Misérables sparked the idea for All We Were Promised. Imagining Jean Valjean and Cosette in an American slavery context led to the characters of Charlotte and James. Lattimore chose Philadelphia as the setting because of its large, politically active free Black community in the early 1800s. Research at the University of Pennsylvania revealed that by 1830 fifteen thousand Black people lived in Philadelphia, ranging from poor laborers to wealthy families like the Fortens and Purvises—models for the Marions and Gardners. The note explains the 1780 Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act and its “six‑month rule,” which allowed enslavers to keep people enslaved while “sojourning” in the state. Lattimore learned about this loophole at the President’s House site on Market Street, where George Washington held nine enslaved people. The note also covers the real‑life Philadelphia Female Anti‑Slavery Society, the literary clubs that nurtured Black women activists, and the 1838 burning of Pennsylvania Hall. Lattimore closes by emphasizing that the novel aims to highlight the agency and ingenuity of Black Philadelphians during the pre‑Civil War era.

Key Events

Inspiration from Les Misérables: The song “Who Am I?” prompts Lattimore to transpose Jean Valjean and Cosette into an American slave narrative, centering a daughter figure like Charlotte.
Choosing Philadelphia: Lattimore identifies the city as ideal because of its large free Black community and its role as a hub for abolitionist activism.
Researching the President’s House: A visit to the Market Street archaeological site reveals that George Washington kept nine enslaved people in Philadelphia, raising legal questions about slavery in a “free state.”
Discovering the Six‑Month Rule: Lattimore details the 1780 Act’s loophole allowing enslavers to keep slaves in Pennsylvania for up to six months, and the 1788 amendment that failed to close it effectively.
Uncovering the Philadelphia Female Anti‑Slavery Society: Real‑life Black women such as Sarah Mapps Douglass, Harriet Purvis, and Hetty Reckless were founding members; the note explains tensions between white and Black members over priorities.
Learning About Literary Clubs: Black women’s literary clubs (e.g., the Minerva and Edgeworth Associations) served as gateways to abolitionist literature, inspiring the novel’s Wheatley Literary Association.
Documenting Anti‑Black Riots: Lattimore notes major riots in 1834 and 1842, and the burning of Pennsylvania Hall in 1838, a key historical event that she dramatizes in the novel.

Character Development

The Author’s Note does not advance the fictional characters’ arcs, but it reveals the historical inspirations behind several figures:

Charlotte and James emerged from imagining a Cosette‑like character constrained by a protective, paranoid father.
Nell and Evie were created to represent different echelons of Black society—Nell as a free Black activist, Evie as an enslaved woman brought into Philadelphia under the six‑month rule.
Darcel was inspired by the influx of Haitian refugees who arrived with their enslavers in the 1790s.
Kate and the Jackson family embody the slaveholders who exploited the sojourner loophole, periodically sending enslaved people out of state to reset the six‑month clock.
Real historical figures (Robert Purvis, Sarah Mapps Douglass, Hetty Reckless, the Forten family) are named as models for characters’ activism and social circles.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs Actually Evidenced Here

Historical Accuracy and Agency: Lattimore underscores that the novel is rooted in real laws, organizations, and events, emphasizing the agency of Black women who shaped abolitionist work.
Complexity of Freedom: The note explores how even “free” Black Philadelphians faced danger from slave catchers (as Nell does) and how gradual abolition created tiers of unfreedom.
The Six‑Month Rule as a Symbol: This legal loophole symbolizes the fragility of liberty in a nominally free state; it is a tangible example of how law was manipulated to sustain slavery.
Pennsylvania Hall as a Martyr: The burned‑out shell of the hall stood as a visible symbol of the conflict between the city’s founding ideals and its racial violence.
Literary Clubs as Gateways: The note presents reading and writing as tools for political awakening, echoing the novel’s use of the Wheatley Literary Association.

Why This Chapter Matters

This Author’s Note is essential for understanding the novel’s commitment to historical fidelity. Lattimore, a former lawyer turned journalist, details her research process and the real‑life people, laws, and events that underpin the fiction. It bridges the gap between story and history, showing that the novel is not merely a drama but also a recovery of underrepresented narratives—especially those of Black women in Philadelphia’s abolitionist movement. The note also clarifies why certain legal and social constraints exist in the plot (e.g., Evie’s enslavement, Nell’s kidnapping risk), grounding them in documented reality. For readers who want to explore further, the note points to historical markers and primary sources, making it a valuable resource for discussion groups or research projects.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Lattimore’s legal background influence the way she presents the six‑month rule in the novel?
Answer: Lattimore’s training in law led her to investigate the precise mechanics of the 1780 Gradual Abolition Act and its loopholes. She discovered that enslavers like George Washington reset the six‑month clock by periodically sending enslaved people out of state, a practice she dramatizes through the Jackson family’s actions with Evie. Her careful explanation in the Author’s Note shows that the novel’s legal details are not invented but drawn from historical records.

2. What role did literary clubs play in the real abolitionist movement, and how does the novel reflect this?
Answer: Real clubs like the Minerva and Edgeworth Literary Associations provided Black women with a space to read abolitionist literature, write articles, and develop their political voices. In the novel, the Wheatley Literary Association serves the same function for Nell and Charlotte, offering them a gateway to activism.

3. Why does Lattimore emphasize the burning of Pennsylvania Hall as a pivotal event for the novel?
Answer: She calls it “too outrageous to have been left out of the history books.” The hall was built by a mixed‑race coalition and destroyed within days of opening, starkly illustrating the gap between Philadelphia’s ideals and its racial violence. Including this event allows her to center Black women’s resilience in the face of such destruction and to rescue the story from obscurity.