“I am devising means for manumitting (setting free) many of them, and for cutting off the entail of slavery. Great powers oppose me — the laws and customs of my country, my own and the avarice (extreme greed) of my countrymen.” Henry Laurens wrote (H. Laurens 21). Henry Laurens faced problems with freeing his slaves, especially with depriving his children of “free estate” which were his slaves (H. Laurens 21). He doesn’t take any action on freeing them (Gieger 2:00). Henry Laurens’ problems eventually affect John Laurens’ plans to enlist slaves. During early life, everyone develops their opinions and how they feel about certain topics. Laurens’ life is no different. John Laurens was born the oldest of five children on October 27, 1754 on a plantation in South Carolina (Unger 5). Laurens’ normal childhood tragically came to an end when his mother, Eleanor Laurens, passed away; Laurens was only sixteen when this happened (Under 15). Henry Laurens, John Laurens’s father, is now distraught on how to raise his kids. Not knowing what to do, Henry Laurens sent his three sons to England (Geiger 1:28). John Laurens eventually decided to go to Geneva, Switzerland for his schooling (Under