1672, October.  Connecticut:  Law against Man-Stealing.

“The General Laws and Liberties of Conecticut

“Capital Laws”:  10.  “If any Man stealeth a Man or Man kinde, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall be put to death.  Exod. 21. 16.” Laws of Connecticut, 1672 (repr. 1865), p. 9.

1676, March 3.  West New Jersey:  Slavery Prohibited (?).

“The Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Province of West New-Jersey, in America.”

Chap.  XXIII.  “That in all publick Courts of Justice for Tryals of Causes, Civil or Criminal, any Person or Persons, Inhabitants of the said Province, may freely come into, and attend the said Courts, ... that all and every Person and Persons Inhabiting the said Province, shall, as far as in us lies, be free from Oppression and Slavery.”  Leaming and Spicer, Grants, Concessions, etc., pp. 382, 398.

1688, Feb. 18.  Pennsylvania:  First Protest of Friends against Slave-Trade.

“At Monthly Meeting of Germantown Friends.”  For text, see above, pages 28-29. Fac-simile Copy (1880).

1695, May.  Maryland:  10s.  Duty Act.

“An Act for the laying an Imposition upon Negroes, Slaves, and White Persons imported into this Province.”  Re-enacted in 1696, and included in Acts of 1699 and 1704.  Bacon, Laws, 1695, ch. ix.; 1696, ch. vii.; 1699, ch. xxiii.; 1704, ch. ix.

1696.  Pennsylvania:  Protest of Friends.

“That Friends be careful not to encourage the bringing in of any more negroes.”  Bettle, Notices of Negro Slavery, in Penn.  Hist.  Soc.  Mem. (1864), I. 383.

1698, Oct. 8.  South Carolina:  White Servants Encouraged.

“An Act for the Encouragement of the Importation of White Servants.”

“Whereas, the great number of negroes which of late have been imported into this Collony may endanger the safety thereof if speedy care be not taken and encouragement given for the importation of white servants.”

Sec. 1.  L13 are to be given to any ship master for every male white servant (Irish excepted), between sixteen and forty years, whom he shall bring into Ashley river; and L12 for boys between twelve and sixteen years.  Every servant must have at least four years to serve, and every boy seven years.

Sec. 3.  Planters are to take servants in proportion of one to every six male Negroes above sixteen years.

Sec. 5.  Servants are to be distributed by lot.

Sec. 8.  This act to continue three years.  Cooper, Statutes, II. 153.

1699, April.  Virginia:  20s.  Duty Act.

“An act for laying an imposition upon servants and slaves imported into this country, towards building the Capitoll.”  For three years; continued in August, 1701, and April, 1704.  Hening, Statutes, III. 193, 212, 225.