Huge land deals and sectional views over the spread of slavery into the new territories were splitting the nation and threatening peace in antebellum America. The first time a petition for the...
Category - Slavery
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 allowed the capture and return of fugitive slaves to their rightful owners within the territories of the United States. It was one of the five acts included in the...
Banning Slave Trade in Washington DC
As the nation’s capital moved from Philadelphia to Washington DC in 1800 more slaves were needed to build the infrastructure required for the new capital. Alexandria became one of the largest slave...