Congress finally abolished the international slave trade in the United States with the passage of the Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves on March 2, 1807. The law went into effect on January 1, 1808, making it illegal to import African slaves into the country from that date forward. However, this act did not abolish slavery itself or the domestic slave trade within the United States.
The complete abolition of slavery in the United States came later with the passage and ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Congress passed the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865, and it was ratified on December 6, 1865. This amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude (except as punishment for a crime) throughout the entire country.
