The best of times and the worst of times: The opportunity for the abolition of slavery in the 1780s

This thesis examines the reasons why the decade of the 1780s held such promise for the abolition of slavery as well as so many roadblocks to emancipation. The religious and political philosophies underlying the Early Republic Era, as well as the economic, political and the geopolitical realities, are central in its exploration. This thesis suggests that despite all the advantages that favored the ending of slavery nationwide during the decade, or at least setting up a mechanism to eventually end it on a national basis, the inertia of its existence hindered true emancipation. Primary and secondary sources indicate that the sheer magnitude of slaves held in the Deep South, coupled with the general impiety of man, trumped whatever logic for abolition could be advanced.