The enslavement of Africans occurred in every British colony in America, including those in New England. Enslavement thrived as an institution for quite some time in New England even after the first landmark freedom suit by an enslaved person, Quock Walker, in 1781. Associating slavery exclusively with the southern colonies absolves New England of the role it played in perpetuating slavery both directly and indirectly. In the eighteenth century, when William Shirley was Royal Governor, enslaved people were the backbone of the New England economy. Their labor here and in the Caribbean where many New Englanders had investments and plantations allowed society to grow and thrive, and for this, they were not recognized or rewarded.

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