Hannah Duce was enslaved by James Richards. In 1673, she was raped by two white men, John Ginnings, and William Hadwell. Because Hannah was enslaved at the time, her assailants were not charged with rape. Instead, they and Hannah were charged and convicted of fornication. The judge gave each of the three a choice to pay a fine or submit to a public whipping. Hannah, an enslaved woman, could not pay the fine, so she was publicly whipped. When her son, Abda, was born, he was given the surname of one of his mother’s assailants.
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