Billy was an enslaved African American who, during the American Revolutionary War, was accused of joining British forces and plotting the destruction of property. He was tried for treason in Virginia in 1781, even though he was considered property and not a citizen. His death sentence was eventually commuted because the judges recognized that, as a slave, he did not owe allegiance to the state and thus could not commit treason. Billy's case is notable for its legal implications regarding the status of enslaved people and the concept of allegiance.