1. Massachusetts: In 1783, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that slavery was in conflict with the state's constitution, effectively abolishing the institution.
2. New Hampshire: Slavery was abolished in 1784 when the state's constitution declared all people to be free and equal.
3. Vermont: In 1777, Vermont's constitution prohibited the importation of slaves, and in 1786, it extended this ban to cover anyone born after that date, effectively ending slavery in the state.
4. Connecticut: In 1784, Connecticut passed an Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, requiring the children of enslaved individuals born after March 1, 1784, to be free upon reaching the age of 25. The state's constitution, adopted in 1818, officially ended slavery.
5. Rhode Island: In 1784, Rhode Island enacted an act providing for the gradual emancipation of enslaved individuals. It set a plan for freedom for those who were enslaved and for all children born to enslaved parents after that date.
6. New York: In 1799, New York State passed a law that set a gradual emancipation process, stating that children of enslaved individuals born after July 4, 1799, would be free at the age of 21. The last remaining enslaved people in the state were granted freedom on July 4, 1827.
7. Pennsylvania: In 1780, Pennsylvania passed a gradual abolition act, which freed enslaved people if they had served for more than 6 months of their 7-year term. If they had served less, their term was reduced by 6 months.
8. New Jersey: Gradual emancipation occurred in New Jersey over several years. The process began with an act passed in 1804 that offered freedom to enslaved individuals at the age of 25. Subsequent laws, in 1806 and 1820, accelerated the process, and by 1865, all enslaved individuals in the state had been freed.
It's important to note that while slavery may have been abolished in the northern states, certain discriminatory laws and practices continued to disenfranchise African Americans, leading to ongoing struggles for racial equality.