mar 2, 1807 - Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves

Description:

A United States federal law that stated that no new slaves were permitted to be imported into the United States. It took effect on January 1. The 1794 Act ended the legality of American ships participating in the trade. The 1807 law did not change that—it made all importation from abroad, even on foreign ships, a federal crime. The domestic slave trade within the U.S. was unaffected by the 1807 law.

Article 1 Section 9 of the United States Constitution protected the international slave trade for twenty years from federal prohibition:
The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

Added to timeline:

Date: