Definition
First Emancipation was the process by which Northern States started ending slavery after the American Revolution. Some states abolished it directly, while others adopted Gradual Emancipation laws that freed enslaved people or their children over time. Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey all took action against slavery between 1777 and 1804. Although some laws were slow and limited, and some states delayed full action, the movement made it clear by the early 19th Century that slavery in the North would eventually come to an end.
Essential Facts
- States Involved: Vermont (1777), Pennsylvania (1780), Massachusetts (1783), New Hampshire (1783), Connecticut (1784), Rhode Island (1784), New York (1800), New Jersey (1804).
- Part of: Slavery and Abolition in America.
Key Details
The American Revolution helped lead states north of the Mason-Dixon line to end slavery either immediately or through Gradual Emancipation laws.
1777 — Vermont, although it was not one of the Original 13 States, banned the introduction of slavery in its 1777 state constitution.
1780 — Pennsylvania passed the first Gradual Emancipation law, which freed enslaved people after they reached age 28.
1783 — Massachusetts ended slavery through a court decision in 1783 after the state’s Chief Justice ruled that slavery conflicted with the state constitution of 1780. The decision was heavily influenced by the Quok Walker Case and the efforts of Prince Hall.
1783 — New Hampshire’s 1783 constitution included a Bill of Rights that seemed to oppose slavery, but some people argued that it applied only to those born after 1783. The uncertainty over slavery in New Hampshire was not fully settled by law until 1857.
1784 — Connecticut’s revised state code freed children born to enslaved mothers after March 1, 1784, upon reaching age 25.
1784 — Rhode Island passed a similar law at about the same time, freeing children of enslaved people after their first year of life.
Even with that uncertainty in New Hampshire, very few people remained enslaved in New England after 1800.
1800 — New York adopted Gradual Emancipation.
1804 — New Jersey adopted Gradual Emancipation.
In both New York and New Jersey, slaveholders demanded that the public take financial responsibility for the children of freed adults before they would support Emancipation.
Although progress was slow, by the first decade of the 19th Century, it was clear that slavery in the North would eventually end.
AP US History
Alignment
First Emancipation is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
Video
This video from American History Videos featured Professor John Kaminski discussing First Emancipation and Gradual Emancipation.
Lexicon
Gradual Abolition — The process of ending slavery slowly through state laws that freed enslaved people over time rather than immediately. During and after the American Revolution, several Northern states adopted Gradual Abolition laws that often freed children born to enslaved mothers after they reached adulthood. These laws were part of the growing antislavery movement but also showed the limits of reform, since slavery continued for many people into the early 19th Century in the North and until the mid-1860s in the South.
Prince Hall (c. 1735–1804) — Hall was a free African American living in Boston who became an early leader in the Abolitionist Movement and was an advocate for the education and emancipation of African Americans. He was a Freemason and helped found African Lodge No. 1. He was also the Grand Master of the Lodge. Hall was involved in the “Back to Africa” movement. He died in 1807 and is buried in Copp’s Hill Burying Ground in Boston.
Quok Walker Case — A series of legal actions in Massachusetts in the 1780s that played a crucial role in ending slavery in the state. Quok Walker, an enslaved African American, sued for his freedom in 1781, arguing that the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 declared all men “born free and equal.” The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Walker’s favor, asserting that slavery was incompatible with the state’s new constitution. This decision, along with other cases, effectively abolished slavery in Massachusetts, making it one of the first states to do so.
Primary Documents
Prince Hall’s Petition for Freedom (1777) — Prince Hall signed this petition, which was sent to the Massachusetts Council and House of Representatives. Hall and six other African Americans stated their case for freedom as a natural right of all people.
Prince Hall’s Petition for Freedom (1788) — Prince Hall presented this petition to the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It protested the kidnapping of three free African Americans who were taken to the West Indies to be sold as slaves and argued that the threat of being taken was keeping freemen from working in an industry where they could be employed.
