when did the government first try to limit slavery?

Question

was it 1776?

Answer 1

No.
here is a link to a timeline that should help.
i.e. Slave trade was nationally ended in 1808. but some states made slavery illegal before that.

Answer 2

I assume by "the government" you mean the NATIONAL government of the new United States.

Well, the subject did sort of come up in the 'national discussion' in 776. In fact, Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence included a section blaming the King for having introduced slavery to the colonies. Now that particular complaint so offended some of the Southern delegates that it was cut from the official version. But the Declaration was not a legislative document in any case, and its condemning slavery would not have legislated any limits (though being able to POINT to the criticism in such an official founding document WOULD have helped the cause of those arguing for the limitation and end of the institution in later years).

(See Jefferson's draft, with slavery included among the "grievances" - http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/rough.htm#transcription )


The first NATIONAL limitation placed on slavery was in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 (under the Articles of Confederation). It declared that slavery would be BARRED from the Northwest Territories.

Here's how it reads (Note also the second part, which was the first provision for a "fugitive slave law", a provision the Constitution went on to include):

Article 6. "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted: Provided, always, That any person escaping into the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any one of the original States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or service as aforesaid."
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/5.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Ordinance#Prohibition_of_slavery

At the same time this ordinance was being drafted in 1787 (in New York, then the seat of government), the Constitutional Convention was meeting in Philadelphia. Though the document did not specifically restrict slavery, it DID include the language below which allowed Congress to end to slave TRADE in the future, specifically, as early as 1808 -- this with a Compromise with the desire of Northern states to end it IMMEDIATELY. (Congress did so as soon as they were allowed.) Note that by this time (1787) every one of the STATES except Georgia had at least limited if not prohibited the importation of slaves.

Text: "The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person"
(Article I, Section 9)

Text of Constitution:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=105_cong_documents&docid=f:sd011.105