While individuals and groups opposed to slavery have figured prominently in Connecticut’s nineteenth-century historical narrative, the state’s... Show moreWhile individuals and groups opposed to slavery have figured prominently in Connecticut’s nineteenth-century historical narrative, the state’s record is more complex. Connecticut stood out among the New England states for being slow to completely abolish slavery. Native Americans as well as Africans were enslaved, particularly in the context of King Philip’s War; their condition of involuntary servitude persisted into the eighteenth century. Slavery remained an institution in Connecticut from its introduction in the seventeenth century until 1848, when the last slaves were officially emancipated as a result of a gradualist policy that was the product of 1784 legislation. While the abolitionist movement gained strength throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, there was opposition to it, and in the post-Civil War period, there was also resistance to extending voting rights to African Americans until the 15th Amendment made that position moot (for men—women had to wait until 1920). A sampling of resources from contributor collections related to slavery and abolition includes items pertaining to the slave trade, the slave population, runaway slaves, abolitionist and anti-abolitionist perspectives, and prominent individuals associated with slavery or the conditions under which African Americans lived. Resources span the period from the mid-eighteenth century to the immediate post-Civil War era. To find more materials on these and other subjects related to slavery and abolition in Connecticut, use the topic headings within records to extend your searches—terms such as “anti-slavery,” “slave*,” “abolition*” “slave trade,” and the names of individuals (enclosing phrases in quotes and using an* to allow for singular or plural forms). Show less