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The Deceleration of Independence is signed
The Continental Congress endorses the Declaration of Independence. It declares: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This does NOT abolish slavery -
Methodists in America denounce slavery
The Methodist Episcopal Churches in America, denounce slavery and asks its members to free their slaves within 12 months. These regulations are defeated and suspended the following year. -
Free African Society is Founded
Richard Allen and Absalom Jones establish the Free African Society, the first black mutual aid association in Philadelphia. Richard Allen goes on to establish the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the first major black religious institution in America. -
The Constitution is Adopted
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention vote to adopt the Constitution of the United States of America. As part of the "Great Compromise" between northern and southern states, the Constitution counts a slave as 3/5 of a free man. -
Cotton Gin is Invented
Eli Whitney receives a patent for the cotton gin. The invention transforms cotton into a profitable crop, and reinvents the economy of the cotton-growing states in the South. The slave population almost triples in size between 1790 and 1830. -
Haitian Independence is Declared
Slaves in Haiti, kill their masters, and ultimately drive out the French to establish the first independent black republic in the Western hemisphere. Their actions strike fear into the hearts of slaveholders in the United States and inspire the enslaved. -
Denmark Vesey's Revolt
Denmark Vesey, a 51-year old carpenter and former slave in Charleston, South Carolina, plans a violent revolt to set his people free. After a brief trial, Vesey and his allies are hanged, and Charleston authorities tear down the African Church. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner leads a two-day rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. Joined by over 60 men, Turner kills around 60 whites and destroys 15 homesteads. Over 3000 armed whites set out to end the rebellion, killing many innocent blacks along the way. Turner remains at large for two months, until he is captured, tried, and hanged. As a result of the insurgency, many southern states forbid blacks to preach. -
Methodist church splits
The Methodist church splits into Northern and Southern congregations after argument over whether members should be allowed to own slaves. -
Fredrick Douglass' Narrative is Published
Frederick Douglass, a leading black abolitionist, publishes the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave. Douglass had been born into slavery in 1818 in Maryland, He escapes 20 years later.