Key Slavery Laws and Their Impact on American History

This overview explores significant legislation related to slavery in the United States, from the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which sought to maintain a balance between free and slave states, to the controversial Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act, which enforced penalties for aiding escaped slaves. The Kansas-Nebraska Act introduced popular sovereignty, leading to violent conflicts, while the Dred Scott Decision ruled that African Americans could not be citizens. The Freeport Doctrine further shaped the political landscape concerning slavery, highlighting the tensions that eventually led to the Civil War.

• slavery laws
• missouri compromise
• dred scott decision
• compromise of 1850
• fugitive slave act
• kansasnebraska act
• freeport doctrine
• american historytext

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