That Dog

“That dog of yourn bit me on the leg and i now notify you that i intend to shoot it the first time see it”

This satirical image of a black man threatening a wealthier white man sitting at a desk, a small dog lurking in the background, speaks to the racial tensions of the day, liberally reported and commented upon in abolitionist publications.

In the United States, Pennsylvania and Vermont were the first states to abolish slavery, Vermont in 1777 and Pennsylvania in 1780 (although Vermont did not join the Union until 1791). By 1804, the rest of the northern states had abolished slavery, but it remained legal in southern states. By 1808, the United States outlawed the importation of slaves but did not ban slavery – except as a punishment – until 1865.