Slave states and free states

In the United States before 1865, a free state was a state where slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were not allowed, while a slave state was one where they were legal. Between 1812 and 1850, it was very important to the slave states that the number of free states did not become larger than the number of slave states. Because of this, new states were added to the country in pairs—one slave state and one free state at the same time.

By the 1700s, slavery was allowed in all of the Thirteen Colonies, but during the American Revolution, some of the colonies began to end slavery. Pennsylvania ended slavery in 1780, and by the end of the Revolutionary War or shortly after, about half of the states had ended slavery. However, ending slavery did not always mean that all enslaved people were immediately freed. Vermont banned slavery in 1777, before it became a state in 1791.

Slavery was a big and difficult problem in the United States. It was an important topic when the U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, and it caused big political problems like the Missouri Compromise in 1820 and the Compromise of 1850. Slavery was also a main reason for the American Civil War in 1861. Just before the Civil War, there were 19 free states and 15 slave states. The last free state to join the United States was Kansas, after many years of fighting about slavery. During the Civil War, slavery was ended in some of the slave states, and the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, approved in December 1865, ended chattel slavery across the whole country.

History

Early history

Slavery was allowed in all of the Thirteen Colonies starting in 1619. Most enslaved people were Africans brought to the Americas. Movements to end slavery began in the mid-1700s. The American Revolution highlighted the idea of equality, which contrasted with the status of Black people, whether free or enslaved.

By the late 1700s, several Northern states began passing laws to end slavery gradually. By 1804, all Northern states had laws to end slavery, though some people still worked without pay until later.

In the South, new states like Kentucky and Tennessee were created where slavery was allowed. By 1820, there were equal numbers of states where slavery was allowed and where it was not.

New Territories

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 stopped slavery in a large area north of the Ohio River. This area later became the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, all of which did not allow slavery.

As new states joined the United States, there was concern about keeping an even balance between states that allowed slavery and those that did not. This balance was important to maintain equal power in the Senate.

Missouri Compromise

When Missouri wanted to join the United States as a state where slavery was allowed, it caused a big debate. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 decided that new states north of a certain line would not allow slavery, while states south of the line could. Maine joined as a free state at the same time.

Texas and the Mexican Cession

When Texas joined the United States in 1845, it was a state where slavery was allowed. The land gained from Mexico in 1848 after a war also caused debate about slavery. California joined as a state where slavery was not allowed in 1850.

Kansas

In 1854, new rules allowed people moving to Kansas to decide if slavery would be allowed. This led to fights between people who wanted slavery and those who did not. Kansas eventually joined the United States as a state where slavery was not allowed in 1861.

Civil War

The American Civil War from 1861 to 1865 ended slavery. Many states that allowed slavery left the United States, but some remained. The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 declared that enslaved people in areas controlled by the Union were free. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed in 1865, ended slavery everywhere in the United States.

Special cases

West Virginia

West Virginia became a state during the Civil War in 1863. It agreed to end slavery gradually, and finally ended slavery completely in 1865.

Washington D.C.

The city of Washington D.C. ended the slave trade in 1850. Slavery itself ended there in 1862.

Utah Territory

Utah allowed slavery when it was a territory, but it ended in 1862 when Congress passed a law stopping slavery in all territories.

California

California’s state laws ended slavery, but Native Americans were treated unfairly and forced to work for settlers until 1863 when these laws were changed.

End of Non-Penal Slavery

The Civil War led to the end of slavery. By 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery in the entire United States.