Billy (c. 1754 – c. 1785) was an enslaved man from Virginia who was charged with treason during the American Revolution.[1] He was pardoned in 1781 after a letter was written arguing that, as a slave, he was not a citizen and thus could not commit treason against a government to which he owed no allegiance.
- ^ Jefferson, Thomas (1952). The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: 25 February 1781 to 20 May 1781. Princeton University Press. p. 641. ISBN 9780691045825. Retrieved 25 August 2015.