The way slaves were treated and the way they conducted work varied with the colonies in which they lived in. In the southern colonies, slaves were made to work in relatively harsh conditions while, in the New England colonies, slaves were in fewer numbers and treated with more freedom and were provided humane living conditions.

The 1860 presidential elections were deciding points of slavery and the colonies. The two most prominent splits included the Southern Democrats supporting slavery while the republicans criticized and voted against slavery. The Northern Democrats wanted this issue to be solved on a local democratic level, while the Constitutional Union Party agreed to disregard the issue as long as the Union survived.

Most South slave owners dreaded the sudden liberation of around four million slaves particularly when the greater share of their economy was due to the slave labor that they did not have to pay. In accord, a ban on slavery in the United States would favor the industrial North and upset the balance between slave states and free states. As a result of these factors, the South broke away from the Union which led to the American Civil War.

Slavery was completely abolished form the colonies in 1865 with the passage of 13th Amendment due to many efforts by the President Abraham Lincoln. Previous attempts to abolish slave trade included the ban in 1808 by Constitution and later the punishment for death in 1820. However, major breakthroughs were made after the American Civil War with the passage of Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.