According to the New York Times Magazine's 1619 Project, the reason that America broke away from Great Britain was that the British government was going to outlaw slavery. This is so stupid it hurts.
Great Britain didn't outlaw the slave trade until 1807 and they didn't outlaw slavery itself until 1833 and it did not become fully effective until 1840. Granted there was an abolitionist movement in England in the 1770s, but there was also one in the colonies.
Under English law, slavery was legal in every colony in 1776. Once independence was declared, various colonies began outlawing it. Six states outlawed it by 1790 and all of the northern states had abolished it or were working to eliminate it by 1804. Slavery was never allowed in the Northwest Territory which meant that free states outnumbered slave states through the Civil War.
Given all of that and how long it took England to outlaw slavery throughout Great Britain, it's offensive to claim that the Revolution was inspired by a desire to keep slaves.
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