On March 1st, 1780, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed “An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery.” This legislation was the first attempt by a government in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery.
Slavery had a long history in Pennsylvania. Even before William Penn received his charter in 1681, Dutch and Swedish settlers in the Delaware Valley held slaves. The Quakers, who began to arrive in the early 1680s, including Penn himself, even owned slaves. Many slaves came to Pennsylvania from the West Indies and entered through the port of Philadelphia. Most of the slaves remained in the Philadelphia area, where they served as house servants, farmhands, laborers on iron plantations, and skilled craftsmen. Like other colonies, Pennsylvania enacted severe restrictions on slaves called “Black Codes.” According to these laws, slaves were not allowed to meet in groups of more than four; they were not permitted to travel more than ten miles from their master's residence without his permission; they could not marry Europeans; they were not to be tried by juries; and they could not buy liquor.
However, protests against slavery emerged shortly after Pennsylvania was established. Most were Friends who based their objections on religious principles. The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends criticized the importation of slaves in 1696, objected to slave trading in 1754, and in 1775 determined to disown members who would not free their slaves. In 1775, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society was founded the first of its kind in the nation. Throughout the 1700s, the Pennsylvania Assembly attempted to discourage the slave trade by taxing it repeatedly.
In addition, the principles of the American Revolution stimulated the movement for the abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania. Inspired by ideas of natural rights, numerous pamphleteers, such as Benjamin Rush, Thomas Paine, and Richard Wells noted the hypocrisy of Americans "who condemned the tyranny of England's colonial policies - while holding one-fifth of the colonial population in chains."
These sentiments culminated with the passage of the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery in 1780. It was drafted by a committee of Pennsylvania's new political leaders and guided through the General Assembly by George Bryan. The Act begins with an expression of gratitude for deliverance from the "tyranny of Great Britain" and for the opportunity to "extend a portion of that freedom to others." It further specified that every “Negro and Mulatto” child born within the State after the passing of the Act would be freed upon reaching age twenty-eight. When released from slavery, they were to receive the same freedom and privileges as servants bound by indenture for four years.
The bill passed by a vote of 34 to 21. The most steadfast opposition to abolition came from German Lutherans and reformed representatives from heavily German counties. These groups probably feared that emancipation of slaves would affect their social status in Pennsylvania. Other Protestant groups were split on the issue.
Pennsylvania's Act was the most conservative of the laws emancipating slaves that were passed in northern states between 1780 and 1804. The law freed few slaves immediately. Although Pennsylvanians could no longer legally import slaves; they could buy and sell those who had been registered. Indeed, some pro-slavery residents of counties along the Delaware and Maryland borders violated the law and continued to buy slaves from those states until the law was tightened in l788.
Despite the conservative nature of the Act, slavery declined after its passage. In addition to emphasizing slavery's inconsistency with religious beliefs, abolitionists also pointed to slavery’s economic impracticality. As a result of these arguments, some owners freed their slaves during their lifetimes, while others released slaves through their wills. Also, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society purchased a number of slaves and promptly set them free. Between 1790 and 1800, the number of slaves dropped from 3,737 to 1,706 and by 1810 to 795. In 1840, there were only 64 slaves in Pennsylvania, and by 1850 there were none. The Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery in Pennsylvania finally achieved its objectives – albeit very gradually.
Information thanks to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Comments