History of slavery in Illinois

Slavery in Illinois existed for more than a century (100 Years). French settlers introduced African slavery to the Illinois Country in the early eighteenth century. French inhabitants of Illinois continued the practice of owning slaves throughout the Illinois Country's period of British rule, as well as after its transfer to the new United States. The Northwest Ordinance banned slavery in Illinois and the rest of the Northwest Territory, but many slaves remained in bondage in the state until their gradual emancipation by the Illinois Supreme Court. During the early decades of statehood, the number of slaves in Illinois dwindled before dropping to zero. Nevertheless, in the decade before the American Civil War an anti-Black law was adopted in the state, which made it difficult for new Black emigrants to enter or live in Illinois. Near the close of the civil war, Illinois repealed that law and became the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which abolished slavery nationally.

During the colonial period, the area of present-day Illinois was part of New France and, as such, was governed by its slavery laws. French settlers first brought African slaves into the Illinois Country from Saint-Domingue around 1720 under the legal terms of the Code Noir, which defined the conditions of slavery in the French empire and restricted the activities of free Black persons. The first documented slavery in Illinois was in 1721, when Philip François Renault brought five hundred African slaves to the territory. After an unsuccessful attempt at mining, Renault founded St. Philippe, Illinois, in 1723, and used his slaves to produce crops.

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