January 1819

Despite growing Northern discomfort, Congress repeatedly refuses to regulate or restrict the interstate slave trade in the 1810s and 1820s. Proposals to ban the transport of enslaved people across state lines are defeated by Southern blocs. The trade expands enormously as cotton frontier opens in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The US government thus actively enables the largest forced migration in American history.

Despite growing Northern discomfort, Congress repeatedly defeats proposals to restrict or ban the interstate slave trade during the 1810s and 1820s. Southern congressional blocs block all measures. The trade expands enormously as the cotton frontier opens in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, enabling the largest forced migration in American history.