Beacon Hill Scholars - The law and slavery

Beacon Hill Scholars

The law and slavery

1579: Africans win freedom in first mass uprising
1641: Massachusetts gives legal green light to slavery
1644-1645: First slaving venture helps legitimize bondage in Massachusetts
1652: Rhode Island slavery ban is not enforced
1662: Racist laws reward rape of enslaved
1669: Virginia makes killing enslaved people legal
1676: Rebellion spurs imports of enslaved Africans
1676: Executions portend broad assault on Indigenous peoples
1700: Puritans debate: Is slavery Christian?
1705: Slave Codes deny rights, legalize barbarity
1734: Sarah Chauqum: Native American woman wins reparations
1739: Stono Rebellion fuels rise in militias
1739-1740: Native Americans use courts to win freedom
1746: Lucy Terry Prince: Resilient poet, storyteller
1755: Cash for scalps = license to kill Indians
1761: Jupiter Hammon: First published Black male poet
1762: Jenny Slew: Among first to win a freedom suit
1764: Tax law protest tied to growing rum industry
1771: Governor rebuffs proposed ban on slave imports
1772: Landmark ruling frees enslaved African in England
1773-1779: Black freedom petitions: "For the sake of justice, humanity"
1775: First American abolition society founded
1777: Vermont abolishes slavery; ban largely ignored
1777: Juno Larcom: Wins freedom after 46 years
1779: In New Hampshire, 20 enslaved Africans petition for freedom
1779: Pompey Brakkee: Wins compensation from Vermont enslaver
1780: Black residents help win first abolition law
1781-1783: Massachusetts freedom suits are turning point
1781: New Hampshire bans slavery, but full rights denied
1783: Belinda Sutton: Fights to be paid for 50 years in bondage
1784: Black Freemasons spur activism, advance abolitionist cause
1784: Suicides as protest revive abolitionist group
1784: Rhode Island, Connecticut embrace gradual abolition
1787: Slave states boost their power with "three-fifths" pact
1787: Flawed ordinance bans slavery, ignites land grab
1788: Massachusetts bans slave trades, expels "outsiders"
1789: Enslavers are majority in first U.S. Congress
1790: U.S. Congress: "You must be White to be a citizen"
1791: Prominent slave trader evades murder charges
1791: Largest private emancipation in U.S. history
1793: New law requires return of fugitives from slavery
1793: Province limits slave trade; moves to end slavery
1794: Slave trade law fails to curb trafficking
1800: Failed uprising inspired by revolutions overseas
1807: Slave trade banned after campaign by activists
1807: Smugglers deft slave import ban
1810: David Ruggles: Marshals support for freedom seekers
1816: "Fantasy" scheme to preserve U.S. slavery
1820: Maine becomes a free state in deal over slavery
1820: Maine slave trader first to be executed
1823: Supreme Court legitimizes theft of Native lands
1829: Protests fail to stop expulsion of Native peoples
1829: Walker's Appeal: A rallying cry for Black Americans
1829-1830: Pro-slavery mobs devastate Black Ohio communities
1831: Militias, mobs slaughter Black people after revolt
1831-1832: Brutal crackdown after Jamaica revolt sparks outcry
1833 Native leader designates “Days of Mourning” to mark colonists' arrival
1833: Attacks force closure of school for girls of color
1833: Britain frees 800,000, compensates enslavers
1835: Activists foil kidnappers, help fugitives to freedom
1835-1836: Colonists win Texas independence, protect right to enslave
1836: Abolitionist women gain freedom for enslaved girl
1836: Black women free two who fled bondage
1837-1838: Black activists organize for voting rights
1837: Wendell Phillips: Powerful voice for abolition
1838: 4,000 Cherokees perish on "Trail of Tears"
1838: Abolitionists demand Congress restore free debate on slavery
1839: New book spurs outrage at "slave breeding"
1839-1841: Revolts cast spotlight on illegal slave trade
1841: First history of Black people in U.S. published
1842: Campaign prevents escapee's return to bondage
1844: Sea captain branded for freedom voyage venture
1845: Texas takeover decried as land grab for slavery
1846: Congress allows slavery in future U.S. lands
1846: After defeat, Mexico ceded 55% of its land to U.S.
1846 "Father" of Underground Railroad helps free 800
1850: Harsher Fugitive Slave Act is part of political deal
1850: Martin Delany: Abolitionist leader, champions Black self-reliance
1854: Court case boosts anti-slavery sentiment
1854: Wisconsin activists help escapees, challenge Fugitive Slave Act
1854: New law fans flames of division over slavery
1854: Families move to Kansas to help make it a free state
1855: Pro-slavery men invade Kansas, steal election
1855: Personal liberty laws protect escapees
1856: White supremacists ravage anti-slavery bastion
1857: Supreme Court: Black Americans have no rights
1858: Illegal slave ship brings 400 African captives
1860: Last known slave ship carries over 100 captive Africans
1860: New schooner linked to illegal slave trade circle
1861: Freedom order revoked to keep states in Union
1861: Pro-slavery sentiments roil Massachusetts town
1862: Lincoln declares freedom for all
1862: Congress frees all enslaved people in Washington, D.C.
1862: Republicans build on military wins to pass progressive laws
1862: U.S. hangs 38 Dakota for alleged war crimes
1863: Anti-Black racism fuels deadly draft riots
1865: Refugees in Canada start coming home
1865: Planters mull plan to import Chinese laborers
1866: White mob kills voting rights advocates
1866: Wisconsin activists win voting rights campaign
1866: Racism robs African Americans of land reform benefits

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