Even freedom via compensation had to be earned by the enslaved through demonstrated worth.

Evidence

In total, the commissioners reviewed 966 petitions, of which 909 were easy to approve because ownership was clear, as was the petitioners’ loyalty to the Union. The 909 included eight black people who were seeking compensation generally for their family members whom they previously purchased with the likely intent to set them free. The commissioners’ overall goal was to interpret the act liberally: If the enslaved worker resided in the district and warranted freedom, then the enslaver would generally be compensated. But “they considered 111 slaves too young, too aged, or too infirm to merit compensation, so their freedom was uncompensated.” — Dorothy A. Brown, Getting to Reparations, 97

Categorization

• QUESTION: The 111 denied as too young/aged/infirm were freed without any compensation at all — how was their freedom reconciled with the act’s premise?