From the Archives: Legislation:
Pennsylvania Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, 1780

Courtesy Pennsylvania State Archives
RG-26 Records of the Department of State

Pennsylvania was the first of the original 13 colonies to pass a gradual emancipation law.  The Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery stipulated that no African American born after March 1, 1780 in Pennsylvania would be enslaved past the age of 28.  It was the first step toward eliminating slavery in the Commonwealth.

Slaves freed under gradual abolition remained indentured servants until their terms expired.  Though the citizenry commonly referred to these individuals as “indentured servants,” they were in fact considered the property of those who held them.  Their terms could be bought and sold without their consent.

An amendment passed in 1788 required strict procedures for registering the children of slaves.

Through this legislation, the number of slaves in Pennsylvania began to dwindle by 1830, but it was not completely abolished for another generation.

For more information and a complete transcript of Pennsylvania’s Gradual Abolition Act, visit the Pennsylvania State Archives.

Sources: 

Charles L. Blockson, African Americans in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg: Seitz & Seitz, Inc., 2002

Gary B. Nash and Jean R. Soderlund.  Freedom by Degrees, Emancipation in Pennsylvania and its Aftermath. New York:  Oxford University Press, 1991.