Rhode Island Passes First Colonial Law Restricting Slave Trade

Rhode Island enacted a law prohibiting the importation of enslaved people into the colony — the first such restriction by any American colony. The law declared all enslaved people imported after its passage to be free. However, it contained a significant loophole: it did not prohibit Rhode Island merchants from continuing to trade enslaved people to other colonies and markets. Newport remained a major slave-trade port for decades afterward.