1481-Country of Portugal built the first European fort (Fort Elmina) on the coast of Africa

1501-King Ferdinand of Spain started the trade of African slaves to the colonies in the "New World"

1517-Bartolome' de Las Casas made a deal with the Spanish King Charles I. On his request "Indian" workers in the Caribbean can be replaced with African slaves.

1619-20 - a group of Africans arrived to Jamestown. They were indentured servants.

1624- Samuel Maverick in Massachusetts owns 2 African slaves

1672-Royal African company is formed. Colonies can now buy slaves from the English.

1705-Virgina government tells slave owners that they are not guilty if they kill their slaves while they are punishing them.

1721-South Carolina says that only "Christian whites" can vote

1735- Georgia, one of the English colonies in America, makes slavery illegal. But, this was done so that Georgia will profit by selling slaves -not to free slaves. Slave owners paid a small fine and slaves were not free

1739-The Stono Rebellion,Stono,South Carolina. 12 slaves kill several white men and try to escape to Florida

1740-Slave Act in South Carolina makes it a crime to teach a slave to read and write

1770-Crispus Attucks,a runaway slave,led a group of Boston citizens to protest against a group of British soldiers.When the soldiers opened fire Attucks was killed.

1773-Four Boston slaves petitioned for freedom based on the same reason colonist used to justify separation from England in the Declaration of Independence

1775-Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was formed in Philadelphia by Quakers

1780 - Pennsylvania becomes the first state to pass the law that ends slavery

1785 - John Jay and Alexander Hamilton started the Manumission Society in New York.

1791 -1804 - Haitian Revolution - the only slave rebellion that succeeded.

1787-The Three Fifths Amendments was adopted. According to it slaves should be counted as three fifths of a person

1789 - Benjamin Franklin starts the Pennsylvania Abolition Society

1793 - Fugitive Slave Act. This act allowed slave owners to return and catch the slaves that escaped to the "free states"

1794 - The first national antislavery organization was formed. It was called American Convention for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery.

1796 - Boston's black community starts Free African Society of Boston.

1800 - James Forten and Absalom Jones write a petition to strike down The Slave Act of 1793

1808 - International slave trade becomes illegal

1831 - William Garrison starts publishing the "Liberator"

1833 - American Anti-Slavery Society formed

1859 - John Brown attacks Harper's Ferry, Virginia

1862 - Emancipation Proclamation issued and said that on January 1, 1863 all slaves will be free in America

1863 - Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves