Prior to the American Revolution, slavery was taken for granted as a societal norm, but in the pursuit of freedom and human equality, chattel slavery was a contradiction. Although not all white americans accepted slavery in the eighteenth century, one-fifth of colonials were slaves. James Otis had previously pointed out in one of his pamphlets that blacks were entitled to the same essential civil rights and freedom as the whites, because they were born colonists, and therefore free born British subjects. The American revolution caused colonists to grow uncomfortable with slavery among some northerners. Abigail Adams ‘wished there were no slaves’ in Massachusetts, and several bills came up that attempted to ban slave trade or increase duty on imported slaves. Although most would not reach fruition, it had people talking about it in the midst of
Prior to the American Revolution, slavery was taken for granted as a societal norm, but in the pursuit of freedom and human equality, chattel slavery was a contradiction. Although not all white americans accepted slavery in the eighteenth century, one-fifth of colonials were slaves. James Otis had previously pointed out in one of his pamphlets that blacks were entitled to the same essential civil rights and freedom as the whites, because they were born colonists, and therefore free born British subjects. The American revolution caused colonists to grow uncomfortable with slavery among some northerners. Abigail Adams ‘wished there were no slaves’ in Massachusetts, and several bills came up that attempted to ban slave trade or increase duty on imported slaves. Although most would not reach fruition, it had people talking about it in the midst of