January 1777

Prince Hall and seven other free Black men submitted a petition to the Massachusetts General Court arguing that slavery violated the natural rights principles of the Revolution, and calling for gradual emancipation. Though the petition was tabled, it was one of the earliest formal anti-slavery petitions in American history and contributed to the eventual abolition of slavery in Massachusetts by 1783.

Eight Black men, described as 'a great number of Negroes who are detained in a state of slavery,' presented a formal petition to the Massachusetts General Court in January 1777 invoking the principles of the American Revolution to demand emancipation. Though unsuccessful immediately, the petitions helped build the legal argument that led to the 1783 Quock Walker ruling.

George Liele and Andrew Bryan help establish one of the oldest continuous Black congregations in the nation.