History Matters series - All men Created Equal? The History of Slavery in Massachusetts

In 1638, a ship named The Desire arrived in Boston Harbor carrying tobacco, cotton, and enslaved Africans. Thus began the history of slavery in Massachusetts, a practice that continued for nearly 150 years, through the signing of the Declaration of Independence and most of the Revolution. Massachusetts became the first state to abolish slavery in 1783. But what happened between the beginning and end of slavery in Massachusetts?

Eventually, abolition grew from a fringe belief to a widely accepted position, and Boston became a hotbed of abolition activity. This talk will explore the origins of slavery in the Commonwealth, the subsequent protests against it, and why Massachusetts ultimately became the first state to abolish the practice.

Shawn Quigley is a park guide for the National Park Service at Boston African American National Historic Site. He has been with BOAF since 2012. Shawn worked part time with the NPS as a student, until he graduated from Suffolk University in 2014 with bachelor’s degree in history. Since then he has worked at BOAF full-time where he gives Black Heritage Trail tours, performs local outreach, and serves as the site's social media coordinator. He is currently enrolled at UMass Boston and is working towards a master’s degree in American Studies.

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