State v. Post

In 1804, New Jersey declared children born to slaves after July 4, 1804 free, though bound to service until a certain age; by 1844 a few hundred people in the state remained enslaved and had a legal claim on their masters for support if unable to work. New Jersey's 1844 constitution declared that all men are free and possess unalienable rights, including life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. The question arose whether this new constitutional language abolished slavery outright.