This week in history

September 20, 1850, the U.S. Congress abolished the slave trade in the District of Columbia. This was part of a legislative package called the Compromise of 1850.

The District of Columbia was founded in 1800 and enslaved people lived and worked in the nation’s capital. Slavery continued to exist in Washington D.C. under the slave code until April 16, 1862. It was on this date that President Lincoln signed legislation freeing the 3,000 African Americans bound by the district’s slave code.

Source(s): Library of Congress

Compiled by Bob Valen