Slave States

Definition

Slave states were U.S. states that allowed the institution of slavery within their borders during the 19th century. These states were located primarily in the Southern region of the country and their economies were heavily dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The expansion of slavery into new territories and the admission of new slave states was a major political issue in the decades leading up to the Civil War.
2. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 attempted to maintain the balance of power between slave states and free states by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.
3. The Compromise of 1850 included the Fugitive Slave Act, which required the return of escaped enslaved persons to their owners, even in free states.
4. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed settlers in those territories to decide the status of slavery, leading to violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.
5. The Dred Scott decision of 1857 ruled that enslaved persons were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal courts, further entrenching the institution of slavery.

Review Questions

• Explain the significance of the expansion of slave states in the decades leading up to the Civil War.
  • The expansion of slave states was a critical issue in the decades before the Civil War, as it threatened to upset the balance of power between the North and South. Slave states sought to admit new territories as slave states to maintain their political influence and economic dominance, while free states opposed the expansion of slavery. This tension over the expansion of slavery was a major contributing factor to the outbreak of the Civil War, as the two sides were unable to reach a compromise on this divisive issue.
• Analyze the impact of the Compromise of 1850, including the Fugitive Slave Act, on the relationship between slave states and free states.
  • The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt to address the growing tensions between slave states and free states, but it ultimately exacerbated the conflict. The Fugitive Slave Act, which required the return of escaped enslaved persons to their owners, even in free states, was particularly controversial and met with strong opposition in the North. This act further undermined the autonomy of free states and fueled resentment towards the slave states, contributing to the growing divide between the two regions and increasing the likelihood of armed conflict.
• Evaluate the role of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision in the ongoing struggle over the expansion of slavery.
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision were both significant events that shaped the debate over the expansion of slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act's policy of 'popular sovereignty,' which allowed settlers to decide the status of slavery in those territories, led to violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, known as 'Bleeding Kansas.' The Dred Scott decision, which ruled that enslaved persons were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal courts, further entrenched the institution of slavery and angered abolitionists in the North. These events heightened the tensions between slave states and free states, making compromise increasingly difficult and setting the stage for the eventual outbreak of the Civil War.

Related terms

Free States: U.S. states that prohibited slavery and the enslavement of African Americans within their borders.

Mason-Dixon Line: The boundary line that separated the slave states of the South from the free states of the North.

Fugitive Slave Act: A law passed in 1850 that required the return of escaped enslaved persons to their owners, even in free states.