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The first English colony in North America, Virginia, acquired its first Africans after a ship arrived, unsolicited, carrying a cargo of about 20 Africans.
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Slavery abolished in Providence Plantations.
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John Casor, an African, became the first legally recognized slave in the present United States. A court in Northampton County ruled against Casor, declaring him property for life, "owned" by the black colonist Anthony Johnson.
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Constitution of the Vermont Republic bans slavery.
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Pennsylvania passes An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, freeing future children of slaves. Those born prior to the Act remain enslaved-for-life. The Act becomes a model for other Northern states.
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Massachusetts rules slavery illegal based on 1780 constitution. All slaves immediately freed.
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New York State passes gradual emancipation act freeing future children of slaves, and all slaves in 1827.
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New Jersey begins a gradual abolition of slavery, freeing future children of slaves. Those born prior to the Act remain enslaved for life.
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Import and export of slaves prohibited after January 1st.
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New York State sets a date of July 4, 1827 to free all its slaves.
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New York State abolishes slavery. Children born between 1799 and 1827 are indentured until age 25 (females) or age 28 (males).
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Slavery ends in Pennsylvania. Those born before 1780 (fewer than 100 in 1840 Census) are freed.
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Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 requires return of escaped slaves.
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Treaty between United States and Britain for the suppression of the slave trade (African Slave Trade Treaty Act).
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Emancipation Proclamation declares those slaves in Confederate-controlled areas to be freed. Most slaves in "border states" are freed by state action; separate law frees the slaves in Washington, D.C.
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United States abolishes slavery with the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; about 40,000 remaining slaves are affected.The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, passed by the House on January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865.
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U.S. abolishes slavery in the Department of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia in 1867.
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Chicago's U.S. attorney announced (without giving details) that an international crime ring was abducting young girls in Europe, importing them, and forcing them to work in Chicago brothels. These claims, and the panic they inflamed, led to the passage of the United States White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910. It also banned the interstate transport of females for immoral purposes.
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US Congress passes The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), the first comprehensive federal law to address trafficking, putting the spotlight on the international dimension of the problem.
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United States State Department estimated that 50,000 to 100,000 women and girls are trafficked each year in the United States.
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The state of Washington enacts the nation’s first state human trafficking criminal statute. Since then, more than 75% of the United States has passed state legislation, making human trafficking a felony.
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The Project to End Human Trafficking (PEHT) is formed. The organization offers direct service to victims, educational lectures, and outreach.
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Love146, an organization dedicated to ending child sex trafficking, is declared Official Public Charity.
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Virginia General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution Number 728 acknowledging "with profound regret the involuntary servitude of Africans and the exploitation of Native Americans, and call for reconciliation among all Virginians."
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Craigslist, a popular online classified ads website, removes “Erotic” Ads, attempting to eliminate the problem of trafficking performed through the site.
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President Barack Obama declares January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
