The Film: Interview Transcripts: Leroy Hopkins

LeRoy T. Hopkins, Ph.D., Underground Railroad historian, Millersville University, on
Pennsylvania’s gradual abolition act
Pennsylvania became the first state of the original 13 colonies in 1780 to say that any child born to a slave after March 30 would be an indentured servant until they were 28 years of age.  Now the parents would remain slaves for life, and the idea was that after 28 years of age, then the child would be free.

That was the theory; the practice was much different.  What happened was that the children and the grandchildren of the original slaves remained indentured servants.  And the result was that in 1830 the state Supreme Court had to step in and say, wait a minute, this was never the intention of this law to create a perpetual class of servants, and so they stopped this practice.

What you have to remember about gradual abolition was that it was gradual, it did not abolish slavery, and you also have to take into consideration the longevity of the African.  The average American only lived to around age 40.  Africans lived a shorter time period.  So 28 years was a life sentence.

.separating fact from fiction

role of the African Methodist Episcopal Church

doing what’s right