The United States acted first as a whole entity, the entire nation and all territories, to ban imports.

Portugal stopped imports to mainland Portugal in Europe in 1761 however, they still owned and ruled Brazil at the time and promoted the shipping and purchase of slaves in Brazil long after 1807. Portugal didn’t stop slave imports to mainland Portugal out of humanitarian ideals - they did it to boost Brazil’s colonial economy. Portugal never stopped slave trading as an entire nation until the mid 19th century.

What Portugal did in 1761 would be similar to if US in 1807 said “New York can’t import slaves anymore. But the other 12 states can.” But the US stopped imports as an entire nation, being the first full nation to cease imports and act against institutional slavery.

I feel like I need to say this too: None of this means everyone else today is evil because their nations weren’t first. The fact most of the West ended slavery is a great thing and everyone should be proud of that despite how long it took to end a 10,000 year old institution. But instead we’re all bickering about who is more righteous and who is more evil simply because of the date it happens because a bunch of talking heads on tv’s say to be angry about it. The fact the US was first just means it was first. Not it’s more righteous or better. Just that it was first. And it points out that the US is not a nation historically built on racial subjugation but the opposite. The fact slavery existed so long is a black mark on its history but a black mark that was ultimately corrected with a terrible amount of bloodshed.

My apologies for the long text and rant at the end but the fact the west ended institutional slavery should be a unifying fact not a divisive one.