Confiscation Act of 1862
E527812
The Confiscation Act of 1862 was a U.S. Civil War-era law that authorized the seizure of property, including enslaved people, from Confederates, effectively advancing emancipation and weakening the rebellion’s economic base.
All labels observed (4)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Confiscation Act of 1862 canonical | 1 |
| Confiscation Acts | 1 |
| First Confiscation Act | 1 |
| Second Confiscation Act of 1862 | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Civil War-era legislation
ⓘ
United States federal statute ⓘ |
| aimedAt |
discouraging support for the Confederacy
ⓘ
encouraging enslaved people to leave Confederate owners ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Second Confiscation Act NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesToJurisdiction |
United States government
ⓘ
surface form:
United States federal government
|
| authorizes |
seizure of enslaved people owned by Confederates
ⓘ
seizure of property of persons engaged in rebellion ⓘ seizure of property of persons giving aid or comfort to the rebellion ⓘ |
| broaderConcept |
Union confiscation laws
ⓘ
Union war aims ⓘ United States slavery abolition policy ⓘ |
| conflictContext | American Civil War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| dateEnacted | 1862-07-17 ⓘ |
| empowered | President of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| follows | Confiscation Act of 1861 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| grantedPower |
power to employ persons of African descent for the suppression of the rebellion
ⓘ
power to seize and use rebel property for the support of the Union army ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
contributed to the legal dismantling of slavery in the United States
ⓘ
marked a shift toward viewing emancipation as a tool of war ⓘ |
| implementedThrough |
Union military authorities
ⓘ
federal district courts ⓘ |
| influenced | Abraham Lincoln's decision to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation ⓘ |
| legalCitation | 12 Stat. 589 ⓘ |
| legalEffect |
allowed federal courts to condemn and confiscate rebel property
ⓘ
declared enslaved people of certain rebels to be forever free ⓘ expanded emancipation beyond military contraband policy ⓘ provided statutory basis for emancipation of slaves of disloyal owners ⓘ |
| legislativeBody | United States Congress ⓘ |
| limitedBy | judicial concerns about due process and property rights ⓘ |
| policyType |
confiscation policy
ⓘ
war measure ⓘ |
| precededBy | First Confiscation Act NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryPurpose |
to authorize seizure of property used to support the Confederacy
ⓘ
to undermine the economic base of the Confederacy ⓘ to weaken the Confederate rebellion ⓘ |
| relatedLegislation |
Militia Act of 1862
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Emancipation Proclamation NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| sectionFocus |
Section 11 addressed presidential implementation and pardons
ⓘ
Section 9 freed slaves of persons engaged in rebellion ⓘ |
| signedBy | Abraham Lincoln NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| strengthened |
Union emancipation policy
ⓘ
federal authority over rebel property ⓘ |
| targetedGroup |
persons aiding or abetting the Confederate cause
ⓘ
persons engaged in armed rebellion against the United States ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
“Contraband decision” offering refuge to escaped enslaved people in 1861
→
influenced
→
Confiscation Act of 1862
ⓘ
subject surface form:
Contraband decision
this entity surface form:
First Confiscation Act
“Contraband decision” offering refuge to escaped enslaved people in 1861
→
relatedTo
→
Confiscation Act of 1862
ⓘ
subject surface form:
Contraband decision
this entity surface form:
Second Confiscation Act of 1862
this entity surface form:
Confiscation Acts