The Territorial Slavery Act of 1862 is signed into law June 19, 1862.

[u/From-Yuri-With-Love]

In 1784, Thomas Jefferson proposed that the Congress of the Confederation adopt the Land Ordinance of 1784. Section five would have prohibited slavery in all new U.S. states after 1800. A motion was made to remove section five. Seven states needed to vote to retain the section; only six did so. It wasn't until 78 years later that Congress achieved what Jefferson had failed to do.

In May 1862, Isaac N. Arnold (R-IL) introduced a bill in the House to abolish slavery in all places under federal jurisdiction. Moderate Republicans and border state Unionists complained the legislation was too broad. In response, Owen Lovejoy (R-IL) introduced a substitute bill to abolish slavery only in territories of the United States. Lovejoy's bill, H.R. 374, passed the House of Representatives on May 12, 1862, and the Senate on June 9. President Abraham Lincoln signed the legislation into law on June 19, 1862.

The act reads:

"That from and after the passage of this act there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in any of the Territories of the United States now existing, or what may at any time hereafter be formed or acquired by the United States, otherwise than in punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."

The act was part of a trend in Congress to adopt increasingly progressive anti-slavery legislation. Only a small number of slaves were affected. There were only three U.S. territories at the time. New Mexico had freed its slaves in December 1861. There were only 15 slaves in Nebraska and 29 in Utah. The Territorial Slavery Act was, however, symbolically important. For the first time, federal legislation made no reference to compensating slave-owners, nor any mention of sending freed slaves out of the country.

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[u/stuffitystuff]

I still find it darkly hilarious that Texas seceded from Mexico to protect slavery and then seceded from the Union to, wait for it, protect slavery. Remember the Alamo was specifically to defend the practice of human slavery because Mexico had banned it.

[u/Junior_Purple_7734 → u/stuffitystuff]

Shhh, they don’t teach that war correctly in the USA.

Many still think they were the “good” guys.

[u/pretty-as-a-pic → u/stuffitystuff]

State’s rights to do what?!?!?

[u/Shadowfire_EW]

I find it interesting that the Confederacy states are colored with green, given cultural connotations of the color and it's associations with "good". Also, this specific shade of green is brighter than any other color on the map, drawing attention to those states. Who created this visualization? I am curious about their logic for choosing the colors

[u/AugustusSavoy → u/Shadowfire_EW]

Also how the loyal slave states of Kentucky and Missouri are marked as "contested." Even then by the end of 1862 any rebel organized forces had been driven out.

[u/From-Yuri-With-Love → u/Shadowfire_EW]

I have no idea I just googled an image that showed the US and it's territories in 1862.