1791
Bill of Rights ratified.
1700
1787
The Northwest Ordinance abolishes slavery in the Northwest Territory above the Ohio River, which includes the present-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
1777
Vermont becomes the first state to abolish slavery, prohibiting the institution in its constitution.
1776
Declaration of Independence is drafted and approved, declaring that “all men are created equal.” The final version of the Declaration omits an anti-slavery clause due to the objections of South Carolina and Georgia.
1700
Declaration of Independence is drafted and approved, declaring that “all men are created equal.” The final version of the Declaration omits an anti-slavery clause due to the objections of South Carolina and Georgia.
Vermont becomes the first state to abolish slavery, prohibiting the institution in its constitution.
The Northwest Ordinance abolishes slavery in the Northwest Territory above the Ohio River, which includes the present-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The U.S. Constitution is drafted in Philadelphia. The document does not explicitly mention slavery. However, four different parts of the Constitution reflect a compromise on the issue. First, representation in the House is in proportion to the sum of “free persons” and “three-fifths” of “all other persons,” (i.e., slaves). Article I, Section 9 includes a “migration or importation” clause that prohibits the slave trade from being banned before 1808 but nevertheless provides that a tax May be levied on imported slaves. The Fugitive Slave Clause of Article IV, Section 3 provides that “Person[s] held to Service or Labour,” (i.e., slaves), escaping from one state shall be delivered to the party “to whom such Service or Labour May be due.” Finally, Article V makes the slave trade clause unamendable.
