Slavery in what became the United States lasted roughly 246 years, from 1619—when enslaved Africans were first brought to colonial Virginia—until slavery was abolished nationwide with the 13th Amendment in 1865.

How long was slavery in America?

Most historians date the “American slave era” from:

  • 1619: Arrival of about 20 captive Africans at Jamestown, Virginia, marking the beginning of institutionalized African slavery in English North America.
  • 1865: Ratification of the 13th Amendment, which legally abolished slavery across the United States.

That span is about 246 years of legally recognized slavery under colonial and then U.S. law.

People sometimes say “400 years of slavery,” but that usually refers more broadly to:

  • 400+ years since 1619 up to the present, highlighting a long history of racial oppression and its lasting effects, not 400 years of legal slavery itself.

Key milestones (mini‑timeline)

  • 1619: First recorded group of Africans brought to Jamestown, often cited as the starting point of American slavery.
  • Late 1600s: Colonies pass laws making slavery permanent and hereditary for Africans and their descendants.
  • 1780s–early 1800s: Northern states gradually abolish slavery, while it expands and intensifies in the South, especially with cotton.
  • 1863: Emancipation Proclamation declares enslaved people in rebelling Confederate states “forever free,” but it does not end slavery everywhere.
  • 1865: Union victory in the Civil War and ratification of the 13th Amendment formally abolish slavery nationwide.

Even after 1865, systems like Black Codes, sharecropping, and Jim Crow laws kept racial oppression alive for generations, which is why discussions about slavery’s legacy are still central to U.S. politics and culture today.

Quick HTML facts table

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<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Question</th>
      <th>Answer</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>How long was slavery in America (legal era)?</td>
      <td>About 246 years, from 1619 to 1865.[web:1][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Common shorthand people use</td>
      <td>"400 years," usually meaning 1619 to the present as a symbol of ongoing racial oppression, not 400 years of legal slavery.[web:4][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Start marker most historians use</td>
      <td>1619: Arrival of enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia.[web:3][web:6]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>End marker</td>
      <td>1865: 13th Amendment abolishes slavery in the United States.[web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Why this matters now

In recent years—especially around anniversaries of 1619 and debates about racial justice—“how long was slavery in America” has become a trending question in news, classrooms, and forums. Discussions often connect that 246‑year slave era to today’s inequality, policing debates, and conversations about reparations, showing how close this history still feels in 2026.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.