On this date in 1777, Vermont abolished slavery.
Vermont was an independent sovereign country that year and did not join the United States of America until 1791.
Vermont was the first country in the modern era to abolish slavery.
Reference:
Black First:
2,000 years of extraordinary achievement
by Jessie Carney Smith
Copyright 1994 Visible Ink Press, Detroit, MI
ISBN 0-8103-9490-1
