Residents of Vermont Tuesday voted to adopt Proposal 2 that amends the state constitution to repeal language permitting slavery and indentured servitude. The final vote was overwhelming with 237,097 in favor of the amendment and 30,255 against.

Vermont was the first state in the United States to adopt a constitution in 1777. The constitution prohibited slavery apart from one exception that read no person shall “serve any person as a servant, slave or apprentice, after arriving to the age of twenty-one years, unless bound by the person’s own consent, after arriving to such age, or bound by law for the payment of debts, damages, fines, costs, or the like.” Proposal 2 eliminated this language and Vermont’s constitution now reads “slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited.”

Vermont was part of what was dubbed the “Freedom Five” this election season. The Freedom Five was a group of five different states who all had ballot proposals to remove slavery and indentured servitude language from their constitutions. The Five included Vermont, Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, and Tennessee. Voters in four of the five states voted to remove the language and prohibit all forms of slavery and indentured servitude outright. Louisiana voters did not adopt their state’s proposal allegedly because the legislator who sponsored the proposal backed out last minute and turned against it.

Overall reaction to the passing of Proposal 2 was positive. Vermont Interfaith Connection was one of the biggest supporters of Proposal 2. After the election results came in, the group said we are “elated that the ‘yes’ vote on Prop 2 is more than 80%. Abolishing slavery without exception marks a new era in VT — acknowledging the morally reprehensible nature of slavery and committing ourselves to the dismantling of systemic racism moving forward.” Additionally, Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said “[p]eople of all races and genders who live, work, and visit Vermont should feel welcomed and safe.”

From a legal standpoint, the amended language will have no effect on constitutional rights. Despite the small exception in the constitution’s language, slavery has been prohibited in Vermont since 1777. Thus, the amendment serves as a symbolic gesture to remove all traces of racism from Vermont’s founding document. It serves as an acknowledgment of the past, and it paves the way for a more inclusive future. The fact that four states in one election period decided to remove such language shows that the country is trying to remove any leftover traces of slavery and hopefully move on to a more peaceful future.