(AURN News) — On July 2, 1777, Vermont made history by becoming the first U.S. territory to ban slavery.
While the American Revolution was still raging, Vermont’s constitution declared that no adult should be held as a servant, slave or apprentice — a radical stand in a country still building freedom while practicing bondage.
Vermont also moved to give Black men voting rights, setting a precedent the nation would not follow for generations.
Pennsylvania passed gradual abolition in 1780, but Vermont had already drawn a sharper line.
In 1791, Vermont entered the Union as the 14th state, carrying that anti-slavery language into statehood. The promise was imperfect and uneven, but the full message was powerful: America could not call itself free while allowing slavery, exclusion and second-class citizenship to survive under the law in any form.
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