slave state
Definition
Noun: 1. A U.S. state where the institution of slavery was legal and practiced before the American Civil War (1861-1865): This term specifically refers to states, primarily in the southern United States, whose laws permitted the enslavement of people. The status of a state as a "slave state" was a central political and economic division in the nation's history.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Before the Civil War, Missouri was considered a slave state.
- The balance of power in Congress depended on the number of slave states versus free states.
- The economic system of a slave state was largely based on plantation agriculture.
Advanced Usage
- Historical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in a historical context to describe the pre-Civil War United States. It is a categorization used by historians.
- The Missouri Compromise of 1820 aimed to maintain a balance between slave states and free states.
Variants and Related Words
- Slaveholding (adj): Describing a state, person, or entity that owned slaves.
- The slaveholding states seceded from the Union.
- Free state (n): The direct antonym; a state where slavery was illegal.
- The conflict between slave states and free states escalated.
Synonyms
- Slaveholding state: A more descriptive synonym emphasizing the practice.
- Southern state (historical context): While not all southern states were universally "slave states" for their entire pre-war history, this is often used as a geographical synonym in historical discussion.
Antonyms
- Free state: A state where slavery was prohibited by law.
Noun
-
any of the southern states in which slavery was legal prior to the American Civil War
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