Maps
State Maps
Maps of US
Southern Slave State Maps
Southern slave states in the United States, historically referred to as the “Slave States” or the “Antebellum South,” were those states in which the institution of slavery was legally established and widely practiced prior to the American Civil War (1861–1865). This region was characterized by a social and economic system heavily dependent on agriculture, particularly the cultivation of cash crops like cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane, which were labor-intensive and thus reliant on slave labor.
In addition to these, there were also states known as “border states,” which were slave states but did not secede from the Union. These included Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri.
The main Southern slave state maps are below:
Northern Slave State Maps
Those states in the North where slavery was legally practiced, particularly during the 17th and 18th centuries. The trajectory of slavery and its abolition in these states is an essential aspect of American history, especially considering the early timing of these emancipation laws relative to the international age of abolition.
Vermont: Vermont was a leader in the movement against slavery, with its 1777 constitution making it the first state to abolish slavery.
Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 included language that was interpreted as effectively abolishing slavery, as confirmed by court decisions in 1783.
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania passed the Gradual Abolition Act in 1780, which was the first attempt by a government in the Western Hemisphere to begin an abolition of slavery. This law did not immediately free any slaves, but it did prevent the future enslavement of any child born to a slave mother in Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island and Connecticut: Both of these states passed acts in 1784 for the gradual abolition of slavery. These laws stipulated that children of slaves born after March 1, 1784, would serve an apprenticeship and then be freed.
New York: New York initiated a gradual emancipation in 1799, which was not completed until July 4, 1827. The law freed future children of slaves, and all slaves in 1827.
New Jersey: New Jersey, the last of the Northern states to start gradual abolition, passed a law in 1804 that led to a very gradual decline of slavery, which was not completely abolished until after the Civil War.
