As the talk of revolution and insurrection heated up in 1773, greater talk about freedom for the men in the American colonies dominated much of the idle chat around the Massachusetts colony. The talk of freedom, however, excluded Blacks (both nominally free and those in bondage) from being a part of the conversation for this new nation. In April 1773, an enslaved man known only as Felix sent a letter to the governor of Massachusetts pushing for Blacks to be considered in this new movement for liberty, prompting the emergence of a strong abolitionist push for freedom throughout the colony. Nearly a month later another letter would be sent by Peter Bestes requesting the same, and then in 1774 and 1777 the governor received more letters from Blacks living in the colony. The movement spread throughout New England as other legislatures found themselves seeing these petitions demanding freedom.