What were the series of laws passed by the federal government designed to liberate slaves in seceded states called?

The laws known as the Confiscation Acts were aimed at liberating slaves in the states that had seceded from the Union. These acts, passed during the Civil War, allowed the Union army to seize Confederate property, which included enslaved individuals. The first Confiscation Act was enacted in 1861, declaring that all slaves who were used by the Confederacy for military purposes would be freed. A second act in 1862 expanded this mandate to include all slaves owned by Confederate rebels, effectively allowing Union forces to liberate enslaved people in seceded states. This legislative push reflected the shifting policies of the federal government towards emancipation as the war progressed and illustrated the Union's commitment to undermining the Confederacy's labor force.

The other choices represent different aspects of the broader context of slavery and emancipation. The Fugitive Slave Act was a law that enforced the return of escaped slaves to their owners and was not aimed at liberating slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by President Lincoln that declared the freedom of slaves in the Confederate states but was not a law passed by Congress. The Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments) addressed issues of