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Virginia Slave Code of 1705 "Of servants and slaves in Virginia"
The Virginia Slave Code of 1705 was a group of laws enacted to enslave all non-white Christians. It not only took away the rights of indentured servants to be free, it also gave white men ownership of all slaves as property. -
New York Slave Revolt
On the night of April 6, 1712 twenty three enslaved Africans set fire to a building on Maiden Lane then proceeded to kill nine whites and injury many others. -
Stono Rebellion
The Stono Rebellion was the largest slave uprising in Colonial America. It occurred along the banks of the Stono River in South Carolina and ended with the killing of approximately 20 whites and 30 slaves. -
Crispus Attucks and the Boston Massacre
Crispus Attucks was a runaway slave who is considered to be the first American killed during the American Revolution. His death is a result of the Boston Massacre. -
Slaves Petition for Freedom to the Massachusetts Legislature
One of several appeals submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature imploring for an end to slavery and basic human rights afforded to Americans of the time. This appeal was written on behalf of Prince Hall and eight other enslaved Bostonians. -
Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin
The cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 was patented on March 4, 1794. The cotton gin revolutionized the production of cotton in the Southern United States, but also had untoward effects. Due to increased cotton production there was also a distinct increase in the slave market in the South during this time. -
An Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves of 1807
This act that was enacted on March 3, 1807 to be put into effect on January 1, 1808 prohibited the importation of slaves into the United States. The act also set forth penalties for those who continued to engage in the slave trade.
