Particularly in areas on the western frontier between slave and free states, for instance in St. Louis, Missouri and in Louisiana, hundreds of slaves filed freedom suits, challenging the grounds of their enslavement and sometimes winning freedom. The legal justifications for the institution of slavery included exceptions.
Especially in regions on the western frontier between slave and free states, such as St. Louis, Missouri and Louisiana, numerous slaves filed freedom suits, contesting the reasons for their enslavement and sometimes securing liberty. The legal justifications for the institution of slavery included exemptions.