US Bans Slave Importation: Congress Outlaws the Atlantic Slave Trade
The U.S. Congress banned all international slave trade effective January 1, 1808, reclassifying the importation of enslaved people as piracy punishable by death in 1819. This legislation forced the Navy to patrol Cuban and South American coasts while ending legal foreign supply lines. Despite these measures, over one million enslaved individuals still moved forcibly from the Upper South to the Deep South through domestic trade before the Civil War ended the institution entirely.
March 2, 1807
219 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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