Changes to American Society and Culture from 1700 to 1812 : Slavery in Philadelphia (Beginning to the Abolition)
By DorcasO
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Beginning of Slavery in Pennsylvania
In as early as 1684, African slaves were put to work in parts of Pennsylvania, one of the major cities in Philadelphia. Chester county in Pennsylvania had about 104 slaves on 58 farms, with 70 percent of the slaveowners likely Quakers. By the year 1700, one in 10 Philadelphians owned slaves, and it was legalized. Slaves were used in the manufacturing sector, notably the iron works, and in shipbuilding.
1. Slavery in the North : Slavery in Pennsylvania
http://slavenorth.com/pennsylvania.htm -
Slavery Ban
By the year 1712, the Pennsylvania Assembly prohibited the importation of slaves, and freed the slaves that were living in the colony over 150 years before the Emancipation Proclamation. But in 1713, that decision was countered because they felt there was no reason to set the slaves free. Slavery was banned but only for about nine months.
1. Jack Schick : Slavery in Pennsylvania
http://searchwarp.com/swa680486-Slavery-In-Pennsylvania.htm -
French and Indian War of 1754-1763
This war was referred to as the war of "Seven Years" because it began in 1754, and ended in about 1763. Britain and France, were fighting over the issue of France's expansion over the Ohio River valley. This war slowed down the slavery pool of indentured servants. This war took indentured male servants from farm workers, to military fighters. After this war, slave importation greatly fell off, and allowed for European immigration.
1.Slavery in Philadelphia
http://slavenorth.com/pennsylvania.htm -
Protest Against Slavery by the Quakers
The first protest happened in 1688, however it did not yield positive results. In 1758, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends condemned the idea of slavery, and took steps to remove slaveholders from leadership positions. Slave buyers & sellers faced disownment if they refused to free slaves.
1. Protest Against Slavery
http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-3E4
2. Germantown Quaker Protest 1688 http://triptych.brynmawr.edu/cdm/ref/collection/HC_QuakSlav/id/5837 -
Treaty of Paris
This treaty ended the French & British war. It gave British Canada from France and Florida from Spain, & permitted France to keep its West Indian sugar islands and gave Louisiana to Spain. It also strengthened the American colonies greatly by removing their European rivals to the north and south and opening the Mississippi Valley to westward expansion.
1. French and Indian War
http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war
2. King George III, Proclamation of 1763. Gilder Lehrman Collection -
Slave Trade Population
During the "Seven Years" war, slave owners had an influx of slaves. By 1767, 15% of Philadelphia households owned slaves. Slave trade to the region largely ended when Pennsylvania levied a high duty on imported slaves in 1773, in response to fears of a slave revolt. Other colonies began to prohibit slavery by for similar reasons.
1. Slavery and the Slave Trade
http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/slavery-and-the-slave-trade/
2. Slave Auction Block http://librarycompany.org/ -
Founding of Pennsylvania Abolition Society (primary source document) (Seal of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, c1800, item #8865)
By the 1770s, abolitionism was in full force in Pennsylvania. Led by Quaker activists, many Philadelphia slaveholders started to let go of their slaves. In 1775, the first meeting of the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully held. The group focused on the cases of blacks and Indians who have been illegally enslaved.
1.Founding of Pennsylvania Abolition Society
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p249.html
2.Seal of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery 1800 -
An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery
In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery as the law for gradual emancipation passed. This law stated that all children born after the passage of the law were free & that black children born earlier would be freed when they turn 28 years of age.
1. Slavery in Pennsylvania
http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/07/slavery-in-pennsylvania.html
2. An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/documents/1776-1865/abolition-slavery.html -
The Constitutional Convention
In 1787, leaders met in Pennsylvania to amend the constitution, the issue of slavery was discussed. As at 1787, there were thousands of slaves in the US. Each state was left to make its own decision regarding slavery. The leaders eventually came up with "the three-fifths" rule.
1. American History: Debating the Part of Slaves Under a New Constitution
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/1585462.html
2. We the People Article 1 Sec 3: Constitution of the United States. http://constitutionus.com/ -
The "New System"
The abolition act passed in 1780, and the new system started. In the 1790s, Philadelphians were importing indentured blacks from other states & even overseas. From 1787 to 1810, 508 french slaves were recorded and only 45 were given freedom. Some of the indentures of the rest lasted into the 1820s.
1. Emancipation in Pennsylvania
http://slavenorth.com/paemancip.htm
2. Census Data http://www.civildiscourse-historyblog.com/blog/2017/1/3/when-did-slavery-really-end-in-the-north
