American Ship Owners

Slave Trade Act of 1794 Prohibits American Ships from International Slave Trade

1794-03-22 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 6/10

Congress passes and President George Washington signs the Slave Trade Act of 1794, prohibiting American ships from being used in the international slave trade and making it illegal to build, outfit, equip, or dispatch vessels for slave trading purposes. The Act represents an early federal …

U.S. Congress George Washington American ship owners slavery institutional-corruption slave-trade limited-reform