Congress Bans US Citizens from Supplying Foreign Slave Traders

The Slave Trade Act of 1794 prohibited American citizens and residents from fitting out vessels in US ports for use in the slave trade to foreign countries. It was a partial measure that did not end the domestic slave trade or prohibit American participation in trade to American ports. Enforcement was weak. The law was strengthened in 1800 to make participation a criminal offense punishable by two years imprisonment and a $2,000 fine, but evasion remained common and prosecution rare.