any of the states in which slavery was legal before the Civil War: Ala., Ark., Del., Fla., Ga., Ky., La., Md., Miss., Mo., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Tex., & Va.
See slave state in American Heritage Dictionary 4
nounSlave State
Any of the 15 states of the Union in which slavery was legal before the Civil War, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.