slave state
noun
1
: a state of the U.S. in which slavery was legal until the Civil War
2
: a nation subjected to totalitarian rule
Examples of slave state in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Established by the mill and ferry entrepreneur Robert Harper in 1747, Harpers Ferry assumed national importance in 1796 when President George Washington ordered the purchase of land there, in the slave state of Virginia, for a gun factory.
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Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
When Lincoln was elected on an antislavery platform, 11 slave states rejected the results, choosing to leave the Union rather than recognize Lincoln’s authority.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The debate was mostly argued via violence and guerrilla warfare between citizens of Kansas and slave state Missouri on its border.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Similarly, Massachusetts lawmakers gave their approval for Maine to become its own state, a move that Congress formalized in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise, which also admitted Illinois’ southwestern neighbor as a slave state.
—Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave state
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Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
When Lincoln was elected on an antislavery platform, 11 slave states rejected the results, choosing to leave the Union rather than recognize Lincoln’s authority.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The debate was mostly argued via violence and guerrilla warfare between citizens of Kansas and slave state Missouri on its border.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Similarly, Massachusetts lawmakers gave their approval for Maine to become its own state, a move that Congress formalized in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise, which also admitted Illinois’ southwestern neighbor as a slave state.
—Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for slave state
Cite this Entry
“Slave state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slave%20state. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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