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The Virginia Slave Code
This was a law that was passed in Virginia that stated that indentured servants were now considered slaves. This law also enforced that any non-Christian servants would now become a slave. The people who would want to convert to Christianity to escape the imprisonment of slavery were unsuccessful. Once you were titled as a slave, there was no changing your status. This act also allows the master of the slave to view them as property and were allowed to punish them as they felt necessary. -
New York Slave Revolt
This was one of the first known revolts that the slaves initiated against the whites. During this revolt, black slaves attacked and killed the whites; nine whites were killed by stabbing or gunshot and six whites were injured. The militia stepped in and stopped the revolt. Twenty African-American slaves were imprisoned, a few killed themselves to escape prison and feared for their lives, almost thirty were tried in a court, and about twenty were executed. -
Massachusetts Petition for Freedom
The first appeal that the slaves made to the government for freedom occurred in Massachusetts. This petition was printed in a Boston paper and distributed all across the colony. Although they had many supporters in their cause, even an anonymous white man petitioned for the freedom of slaves; the first attempt to free themselves was unsuccessful. The slaves did not give up, they continued for years petitioning for their freedom. By the 1800’s slavery in Massachusetts was basically nonexistent. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson, a white male who would later become the third President of the United States, wrote the Declaration of Independence which stated, “All men are created equal”. This gave hope to the slaves of this time. However, it did not free them. Slavery continued to be a legal act. It has been stated multiple times, that Thomas Jefferson had written in the draft of the constitution something along the lines of being excited that there were slaves. -
Cotton Gin
Large strides for the freedom of slaves have been done at this point in time, but when Eli Whitney created the Cotton Gin, a device that would pull the seeds out of the cotton it halted the progress. Even though the Cotton Gin created less work, the amount of cotton being produced demanded more slaves for the labor of growing and picking the cotton. Many people decided to grow cotton due to the revenue it produced. -
Slave Trade Act
The Slave Trade Act was created and made it illegal to import or bring back any person of color with the intention of using them as a slave or selling them for slave labor. This was a huge step for the freedom of slavery. This law was passed in 1807, but the document states this would go into effect as of January 1, 1808. This gave the people around nine months to close down their slave trade. Those who did not obey this new law would be fined and punished.
