In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state after the Revolution to abolish slavery by legislative enactment. "An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery" applied to black and mulatto children ...

“Abolish slavery tomorrow, and not a sentence or ... owe his master anything “perfectly ridiculous.” 30 At first, some states did not respect the principles that the Constitution embodied.

In 1777, Vermont was the first U.S. territory to ban slavery, and the state of Pennsylvania followed suit in 1780. By 1804, Northern states had voted to abolish slavery within their borders.