On May 18, 1652 Rhode Island passed the first law in North America making slavery illegal. It was not effectively enforced. At the time of the American Revolution, 6.3% of the states population was held in bondage.
In February 1784 the Rhode Island Legislature passed a compromise measure for gradual emancipation of slaves within Rhode Island. All children of slaves born after March 1 were to be "apprentices," the girls to become free at 18, the boys at 21. By 1840, the census reported only five African Americans enslaved in Rhode Island.
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