An Act to Prevent the Further Introduction of Slaves, and to Limit the Term of Contracts for Servitude within this Province

An Act to Prevent the Further Introduction of Slaves, and to Limit the Term of Contracts for Servitude within this Province

This law marked the first legislative attempt in British North America to restrict the institution of slavery rather than protect or enhance it. While it did not emancipate those already bound, the act forbade importation of new enslaved folks on the territory and ensured that children born to enslaved mothers would be freed at age 25, which constituted a step away from lifelong bondage. Historians such as Afua Cooper see the passage of this law as a direct response to events like the abduction and forceful sale of Chloe Cooley, whose case enraged both Black and abolitionist Canadian communities of the time.

The Act to Prevent Slavery in Upper Canada represents a significant turning point: it is nowhere near full abolition but forms the beginning of a legal framework that kickstarted the decline of Canadian slavery. Although the institution still functioned after its passage, its effects would gradually weaken until 1834, when it was finally outlawed in the British Empire. Thus, this document stands as evidence that resistance, both personal and collective, can shape colonial law to a major extent.

Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe & Province of Upper Canada

“An Act to Prevent the Further Introduction of Slaves, and to Limit the Term of Contracts for Servitude within this Province.” Upper Canada Statutes, 1793. British North American Legislative Database (BNALD), University of New Brunswick. https://bnald.lib.unb.ca/legislation/act-prevent-further-introduction-slaves-and-limit-term-contracts-servitude-within

British North American Legislative Database

July 9 1793

Public Domain

Legal Document