slave state
noun/ˈsleɪv steɪt/
/ˈsleɪv steɪt/
- (in the US) any state that practised slavery before and during the American Civil War. The term was especially important when new states were established as either free states or slave states, as in the Missouri Compromise. Most slave states were in the South, but several northern states had practised slavery early in their history.
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slave state