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The History of Slaves in America

By Seth Gamblin

  • 1800

    1800
    Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved African American blacksmith, organizes a slave revolt intending to march on Richmond, Virginia. The conspiracy is uncovered, and Prosser and a number of the rebels are hanged. Virginia's slave laws are consequently tightened.

  • 1787

    1787
    Slavery is made illegal in the Northwest Territory. The U.S Constitution states that Congress may not ban the slave trade until 1808.

  • 1793

    1793
    Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin greatly increases the demand for slave labor.

  • 1793

    1793
    A federal fugitive slave law is enacted, providing for the return slaves who had escaped and crossed state lines.

  • 1808

    1808
    Congress bans the importation of slaves from Africa

  • 1820

    1820
    The Missouri Compromise bans slavery north of the southern boundary of Missouri.

  • 1822

    1822
    Denmark Vesey, an enslaved African American carpenter who had purchased his freedom, plans a slave revolt with the intent to lay siege on Charleston, South Carolina. The plot is discovered, and Vesey and 34 coconspirators are hanged.

  • 1831

    1831
    Nat Turner, an enslaved African American preacher, leads the most significant slave uprising in American history. He and his band of followers launch a short, bloody, rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. The militia quells the rebellion, and Turner is eventually hanged. As a consequence, Virginia institutes much stricter slave laws.

  • 1846

    1846
    The Wilmot Proviso, introduced by Democratic representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania, attempts to ban slavery in territory gained in the Mexican War. The proviso is blocked by Southerners, but continues to enflame the debate over slavery.

  • 1619

    1619
    The first African slaves arrive in Virginia.