Slavery in the USA - Essay Example

The Transatlantic slave trade that had begun around 1500 was the major slave supplier to America. New Haven, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Plymouth adopted fugitive slave law and in 1650, Connecticut legalized slavery. In 1662, Virginia passed a hereditary slavery decree that directed that children of black slaves would be bonded or freed depending on the condition of their mothers. Maryland legalized slavery in 1663, the same year that slaves in Virginia revolted. In the following year, New York and New Jersey legalized slavery while a law was passed in Maryland illegalizing marriage between white women and black men (Lee, 15).

Many states passed laws directing that Christian baptism would not change the status of slaves and slaves were not allowed to possess firearms. In states like Virginia, slaves were banned from meeting in large numbers and those who assaulted whites or tried to escape were severely punished. In New York, slaves were not allowed to sell commodities. In 1688, the first formal antislavery resolution was passed in Pennsylvania. Rice cultivation in Carolina intensified the slave trade in the state. Some states such as Massachusetts penalized slave masters who freed their slaves. In Connecticut, slaves who disturbed the peace or assaulted whites were whipped (Lee, 16).

Slaves in Rhode Island were required to carry passes when walking at night. In some instances, for instance in Virginia, slave masters were allowed to kill and destroy runaways. From 1711, the slave trade started losing popularity in most states. For instance, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island prohibited the importation of black and Indian slaves. Even so, slaves were not allowed to marry or operate businesses without the permission of their masters. Occasionally, slaves got infuriated and revolted killing whites and their captors. In most states, slaves were not allowed to serve in the army (Lee, 17).

In 1773, slaves petitioned for freedom but to no avail. The Abolitionist Society Anthony Benezet of Philadelphia became the first abolitionist society in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin as its president. The Revolutionary war made the government allow slaves to be recruited into the colonial army. Quakers started campaigning against slavery in 1776. The hope of stopping slavery in America started with the election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860. Through the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln declared that all slaves in Rebel territory were free. The endeavor to abolish slavery was actualized in 1865 when the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted. This amendment outlawed slavery (Lee, 18).