Canada: The Promised Land for U.S. Slaves‪.‬

From Slaves to Slave Fugitive Settlers In the first Continental Congress in 1774 it was stated in the Articles of Association, that the "United Colonies" would "neither import nor purchase any slave" and that it would "wholly discontinue the slave trade." In 1776, Congress voted that "no slave be imported into any of the thirteen united colonies." The general sentiment at this time was against slavery, in part, because Blacks had fought so gallantly in the Revolutionary War. Many northern states attempted to embrace the spirit of the "Declaration of Independence," stating that, "All men are created equal." The new constitutions of Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and New York contained emancipation acts and abolished slavery (David, 1924, p.20).