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The Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves is a law passed by the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
forbidding all officers or persons in the military or naval service to return escaped former slaves to their owners with the aid or use of the forces under their respective commands. As
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
armies entered Southern territory during the early years of the War, emboldened slaves began fleeing behind Union lines to secure their freedom. Some commanders put the escapees to work digging entrenchments, building fortifications, and performing other camp work. Such former slaves came to be called "contraband", a term emphasizing their status as captured enemy property. Other Army commanders returned the escapees to their owners. Congress reacted by approving this act which requires that any officer that violates the same to be dismissed from the service upon conviction by a
court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
.


Text of the act

"An act to make an additional article of war" was approved March 13, 1862, with the following wording:http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/artwar.htm U.S., Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations of the United States of America, vol. 12 (Boston, 1863), p. 354.
''Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled'', That hereafter the following shall be promulgated as an additional article of war for the government of the army of the United States, and shall be obeyed and observed as such: ––. All officers or persons in the military or naval service of the United States are prohibited from employing any of the forces under their respective commands for the purpose of returning fugitives from service or labor, who may have escaped from any persons to whom such service or labor is claimed to be due, and any officer who shall be found guilty by a court-martial of violating this article shall be dismissed from the service. ''And be it further enacted'', That this act shall take effect from and after its passage.


See also

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Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
*
Confiscation Act of 1861 The Confiscation Act of 1861 was an act of Congress during the early months of the American Civil War permitting court proceedings for confiscation of any of property being used to support the Confederate independence effort, including slaves. ...
*
Contraband (American Civil War) Contraband was a term commonly used in the US military during the American Civil War to describe a new status for certain people who escaped slavery or those who affiliated with Union forces. In August 1861, the Union Army and the US Congress ...
*
Slave Trade Act Slave Trade Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom and the United States that relates to the slave trade. The "See also" section lists other Slave Acts, laws, and international conventions which developed the conce ...


References

Politics of the American Civil War United States federal civil rights legislation 1862 in American law United States federal slavery legislation 19th-century American slaves Military emancipation in the American Civil War {{US-fed-statute-stub