ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -It is generally agreed that African slaves first arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630’s, and slavery was legally sanctioned in 1641. During the colonial era, numerous laws were passed regulating movement and marriage among slaves, and Massachusetts residents actively participated in the slave trade.

Detailed explanation-2: -Individuals who were formerly enslaved in Massachusetts continued to live in an inferior social position, legally free but with fewer civil rights than whites. They were treated equally by the legal system, but they could not serve on juries.

Detailed explanation-3: -In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery when it adopted a statute that provided for the freedom of every slave born after its enactment (once that individual reached the age of majority). Massachusetts was the first to abolish slavery outright, doing so by judicial decree in 1783.

Detailed explanation-4: -However, many consider a significant starting point to slavery in America to be 1619, when the privateer The White Lion brought 20 enslaved African ashore in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia.