High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Slavery in Indiana occurred between the time of French rule during late seventeenth century and 1826, with a few traces of slavery afterward. When the United States first took control of the region, slavery was tolerated as a necessity to keep peace with the Indians and the French. When Indiana Territory was established in 1800, William Henry Harrison, a slaveholder, was appointed governor and slavery became largely accepted through a series of laws enacted by the appointed legislature.