A Study On The Abolition Of Slavery In Massachusetts

Some pilgrims,led by John Winthrop,established the Massachusetts colony in 1630.In its early period,as a result of the need of production and security and defense,the shortage of a large number of labor resources was the key problem.White indentured workers,Indians,and blacks slaves successively became the main labors in Massachusetts and slavery was established and developed gradually.In the early development of Massachusetts,black slaves played an important role for the stable development of economy and provided sufficient manpower.There were no clear laws to establish and abolish the black slavery in the history of Massachusetts.The establishment of the black slavery was the result of the gradual development of colonial society and it became a common phenomenon until the outbreak of the American revolution.The widespread dissemination of natural rights theory promoted blacks’ struggle for freedom and the independent campaign in Massachusetts.At the same time,they had realized the contradiction between the lack slavery and the ideas of "removal of being from slaved".Therefore the debates about slavery were evoked starting from Samuel Sewell’s memorial of Joseph’s sale.The upper class of Massachusetts,represented by priests and judges demanded that slave owners should treat black slaves well and advocated to abolish slavery gradually.Under the influence of the revolution,the black slaves of this period worked hard for their own liberation.Many cases of black slaves fighting for freedom appeared one after another,which opened the way for the emancipation of slaves.Meanwhile,when the colonial government faced the petition of the black slaves,The attitude was always unclear and vague,which provided a new way to abolish slavery,led to the emergence of early abolitionists in Massachusetts and laid the foundation for the abolition of colonial black slavery.As a Puritan colony,the treatment of black slaves in Massachusetts was inextricably linked to Puritanism.The puritans identified black slaves as both person and property.Black slaves enjoyed the legal rights and interests.The attitude of the slave owner to their slaves relatively mild,and the punishment is relatively light.The black slaves in the north had more rights and freedoms than the southern slaves.During and after revolution,black slaves’ independent consciousness was awakening,as a result the black slaves struggled for their liberation and independence including submitting a petition,litigation,running away and joining the war of independence.After the war of independence,the black people in Massachusetts won independence,but with the rising of racism,blacks still faced a series of problems and the issue of slavery became the tools to balance the interests of states.Blacks still had a long way to go in order to achieve real equality.