This Day in History: 1777-07-02

Vermont formally abolishes slavery by constitutional dictum. Although estimates place the number of enslaved persons at 25 in 1770 slavery was banned outright upon the founding of Vermont in July 1777, and by a further provision in its Constitution, existing male slaves become free at the age of 21 and females at the age of 18. Not only did Vermont’s legislature agree to abolish slavery entirely, it also moved to provide full voting rights for African American males. According to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture, “Vermont’s July 1777 declaration was not entirely altruistic either. While it did set an independent tone from the 13 colonies, the declaration’s wording was vague enough to let Vermont’s already-established slavery practices continue.” Harvey Amani Whitfield’s book, The Problem of Slavery in Early Vermont, reports that among those violating the abolition of slavery were Vermont Supreme Court Judge Stephen Jacob and Levi Allen, brother of the military leader Ethan Allen. In 1858 the “Freedom Act” was ratified, declaring that any slave brought into Vermont was free. Learn more.