Decline of Slavery in Washington D.C.

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Throughout the 18th and 19th century, slavery was an important aspect of daily life in America. In the South, slaves were used to work in the fields to grow and harvest raw materials such as cotton, sugar, and tobacco. These materials, especially cotton, were used in Northern factories to create manufactured goods, for example clothing. By the end of the 19th century abolitionists started speaking out against slavery, which had become a huge topic of discussion in Washington D.C., the capitol of America. Acts were being passed in Congress to try to eradicate slavery in America, and while they were eventually successful, it took a very long time. A couple of influential acts that were passed are The Slavery Code of District of Columbia, An Act for the Release of Certain Persons Held to Service or Labor in the District of Columbia, and An Act to Suppress the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia. With the approvals of these acts and passage time, the amount of slavery slowly decreased in the District of Columbia and the surrounding regions.
“Slavery existed in the nation’s capital from the very beginning of the city’s history in 1790 when Congress created the federal territory from land that was formerly held by Virginia and Maryland [which were slave states].” It was an accepted part of the life, but with each new year, people were getting more restless and started movements to abolish it in the nation. For instance, there was the formation of the Underground Railroad, which was a “secret organization that helped slaves from the South escape from slavery by providing shelter, transportation, forged documents, and other materials. It was illegal to do so, but it existed everywhere that there was slavery.” Members of the Under...

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...ld to Service or Labor in the District of Columbia." Featured Documents. Accessed November 10, 2013. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/dc_emancipation_act/transcription.html.

Russel, Hillary. "Underground Railroad Activists in Washington D.C." Washington History 13, no. 2: 29-49. Accessed October 24, 2013. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40073373?seq=2&Search=yes&searchText=washington&searchText=d.c.&searchText=slavery&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicResults%3Fhp%3D25%26la%3D%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff%26acc%3Don%26acc%3Don%26bk%3Doff%26pm%3Doff%26jo%3Doff%26ar%3Doff%26re%3Doff%26ms%3Doff%26gw%3Djtx%26Query%3Dslavery%2Bin%2Bwashington%2Bd.c.%26sbq%3Dslavery%2Bin%2Bwashington%2Bd.c.%26prq%3Dslave%2Btrade%2Bin%2Bwashington%2Bd.c.%26mxpg%3D722%26aori%3Da%26vf%3Djo&prevSearch=&item=3&ttl=18029&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null.

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