[4] He first attracted public notice in August 1778, when he read a poem he had composed at a ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the Battle of Bennington.
[4] Jacob studied law with Theodore Sedgwick,[4] settled in Windsor, Vermont in 1780,[4] and attained admission to the bar.
[4] He continued his Revolutionary War militia service, and served in the company commanded by Captain John Mercy during a three-day mobilization in March 1781.
[5] Jacob practiced law in Vermont, and became active in politics and government, including service as town meeting moderator,[6] selectman,[6] lister,[7] and justice of the peace.
[4] During Vermont's early history a small number of African American individuals seem to have been illegally bought and sold by some of its white settlers.
[15] In 1783, Jacob purchased from Jotham White of Charlestown, New Hampshire a black woman named Dinah, who was about 30 years old.
[15] The town of Windsor then appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court; Jacob was a Justice at the time, and recused himself from hearing the case.
[15] The court ruled that the bill of sale was not admissible as evidence because slavery violated the state constitution; as a result, Dinah was considered not to have been a slave, and Jacob not to have been her master, so he was not liable for her support.