There were never any laws in Massachusetts abolishing slavery. The institution gradually faded away and while fewer White residents were enslaving others, there were still those held in bondage when, in 1833, Robert Rantoul presented his paper on “Negro Slavery in Massachusetts” for a Beverly, Massachusetts, audience. Earlier hopes that this ‘Peculiar Institution’ so at odds with the nation’s republican institutions would fade away grew dimmer as slavery grew stronger than ever in the South. The national debate intensified and became more divisive as even those who opposed the practice disagreed over how best to eliminate it.
Rantoul, Sr., Robert. Negro Slavery in Massachusetts. Essex Institute, 1887. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l98-053/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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