I need help please.
(1) By the late 1700s, slavery in the North had become a dying institution. (2) In 1774, Philadelphians, among them Benjamin Franklin, organized an antislavery society. (3) Pressure from this group and from Quakers resulted in Pennsylvania becoming the first state (1780) to declare slavery illegal. (4) Soon other Northern states followed. (5) Slaves themselves were also very active in challenging human bondage. (6) Quok Walker of Massachusetts ran away from his master in April 1781 and sought shelter with a friendly neighbor. (7) His master located Walker a few days later and attacked him with a whip. (8) Beaten severely, Walker stood his ground. (9) He sued for his freedom, pointing out that the new state constitution had proclaimed that “all men are born free and equal.” (10) The State Superior Court upheld Walker in 1783, and this decision signaled the beginning of the end of slavery in Massachusetts.
Q. In sentence 9, the word proclaimed means
a. lied.
b. announced.
c. wished.
d. learned.