Passage in the Constitution which was held by the courts to abolish slavery: "Art. I. All men are born free and equal, and have certain, natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties," etc. _Constitution of Massachusetts_, Part I., Art. 1; prefixed to _Perpetual Laws_ (1789). ~1780, March 1. Pennsylvania: Slavery Abolished.~ "An Act for the gradual abolition of slavery." Sec. 5. All slaves to be registered before Nov. 1. Sec. 10. None but slaves "registered as aforesaid, shall, at any time hereafter, be deemed, adjudged, or holden, within the territories of this commonwealth, as slaves or servants for life, but as free men and free women; except the domestic slaves attending upon Delegates in Congress from the other American States," and those of travellers not remaining over six months, foreign ministers, etc., "provided such domestic slaves be not aliened or sold to any inhabitant," etc. Sec. 11. Fugitive slaves from other states may be taken back. Sec. 14. Former duty acts, etc., repealed. Dallas, _Laws_, I. 838. Cf. _Penn. Archives_, VII. 79; VIII. 720. ~1783, April. Confederation: Slave-Trade in Treaty of 1783.~ "To the earnest wish of Jay that British ships should have no right under the convention to carry into the states any slaves from any part of the world, it being the intention of the United States entirely to prohibit their importation, Fox answered promptly: 'If that be their policy, it never can be competent to us to dispute with them their own regulations.'" Fox to Hartley, June 10, 1783, in Bancroft, _History of the Constitution_, I. 61. Cf. Sparks, _Diplomatic Correspondence_, X. 154, June, 1783. ~1783. Maryland: Importation Prohibited.~ "An Act to prohibit the bringing slaves into this state." " ... it shall not be lawful, after the passing this act, to import or bring into this state, by land or water, any negro, mulatto, or other slave, for sale, or to reside within this state; and any person brought into this state as a slave contrary to this act, if a slave before, shall thereupon immediately cease to be a slave, and shall be free; provided that this act shall not prohibit any person, being a citizen of some one of the United States, coming into this state, with a _bona fide_ intention of settling therein, and who shall actually reside within this state for one year at least, ... to import or bring in any slave or slaves which before belonged to such person, and which slave or slaves had been an inhabitant of some one of the United States, for the space of three whole years next preceding such importation," etc. _Laws of Maryland since 1763_: 1783, sess. April--June, ch. xxiii. ~1783, Aug. 13. South Carolina: L3 and L20 Duty Act.~ "An Act for levying and collecting certain duties and imposts therein mentioned, in aid of the public revenue." Cooper, _Statutes_, IV. 576. ~1784, February. Rhode Island: Manumission.~