Sunday, April 20, 2014

Virginia's 1778 Slave Importation Ban

A lot of people don't realize that most of the states that allowed slavery banned further imports during the Revolution, or immediately thereafter.  Here is Virginia's 1778 ban from Hening's Laws of Virginia, 9:471:

There is an exemption for immigrants bringing their slaves with them to Virginia, but notice that not only are there fines for commercial importers and their customers -- but also freedom for the slaves themselves.

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