New Jersey Apologizes for Slavery

The New Jersey Legislature passed a resolution to issue an official apology for the state’s role in slavery. New Jersey is the fifth state to apologize for slavery, but the first northern state to do so. New Jersey had about 12,000 slaves in the 1800s, one of the largest slave populations in the North. It was also the last northern state to abolish slavery in 1846.

The resolution apologizes to the slaves and their descendents. It acknowledges the difficulties that African Americans have had in gaining civil rights, and calls for citizens to learn about the history of slavery in order to gain understanding and ensure that the struggles of the slaves are never forgotten.

In the South, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Arkansas have issued similar resolutions.

Related Links

• NPR: New Jersey Apologizes for Slavery
  Includes an excerpt of the resolution, and an audio discussion between two New Jersey lawmakers about whether the apology is a necessary and good thing. (Source: NPR, January 8, 2008)
• Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 270
  The full text of the New Jersey State Legislature’s resolution apologizing for the state’s role in slavery. (Source: New Jersey Legislature, January 8, 2008)
• Map of New Jersey
  A map of the state of New Jersey, as well as two other maps, locating New Jersey within the U.S., and on a world map. Includes New Jersey facts and history. (Source: WorldAtlas.com)