slave state: Meaning and Definition of

slave' state"

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. any state, nation, etc., where slavery is legal or officially condoned.
  2. the states that permitted slavery between 1820 and 1860: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.