Religion Against Slavery
While its true that there were many factors besides ethics that pushed slavery into disuse in the the North, the issue of the morality inspired the Quakers to protest slavery. The Quakers fervently believed that all people were equal, and that subjugating any group of people was morally wrong. The Quakers, known for their simple way of life, also argued that owning slaves was not a necessity and moreover a luxury that was not needed in a holistic and simple life.
The Quakers in fact were the first group in the nation to openly protest slavery. The Germantown Protest written in 1688 by a group of Quakers, was the first document that outwardly criticized slavery from a moral standpoint. Its authors wrote, "what thing in the world can be done worse towards us, then if men should robb or steal us away, & sell us for slaves to strange Countries, separating housband from their wife and children... And we who profess that it is unlawfull to steal, must lickewise avoid to purchase such things as are stollen, but rather help to stop this robbing and stealing if possible." Their documents planted the seed of opposition in many Northerners and inspired other Quakers to fight to end slavery in the North.
Twelve years after The Germantown Protest, The Merion Protest was written by a Quaker minister, further denouncing slavery. He used the Bible and basic Quaker principles such as equality and fairness to explain his opposition to slavery. The document was eventually brought to the attention of members of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Taking the ideas of the Merion Protest into consideration they decided to support the protest and discourage Philadelphians from participating in the slave trade. Religious opposition to slavery in the Northern States was finally starting to reach its way into the government, and the northern states' government's attitude towards slavery.