Show me the actual law passed by the US Congress, that the 1856 law dictionary quotes.
It doesn't exist. In typical legalese we are told of the law but not shown the law because slaves were basically enslaved by common law practices. Like a man and a woman living together are these days considered a common law, marriage it is a marriage in every sense of the word but not legally formalized.
So was slavery, with the exception of prisoners, there existed no laws on the books that could legally confine, indenture or enslave anyone with a legal reason for doing so. The whole system of slavery was based upon the ignorance and fear of those enslaved created by their masters.
Ask yourself this one question why were there so many cases dealing with runaway slaves and yet no cases tried on the ultimate legality of slavery?
Because everytime it was attempted it was easier to "free" the slave then to try the legality of slavery, those cases dealing with runaway slaves were the only way to get the issue into the courts and tried.
Still haven't got a clue about federalism I see.
There is no FEDERAL law. Just as I wrote earlier, their is no FEDERAL law codifying marriage either - the issues are not federal, but for each state to codify/enumerate. The power to codify marriage/slavery/building codes/voting methods/education/traffic laws and myriad others was NEVER delegated to the federal government.
Again, as I stated above, the federal govenrnment, via the Constitution specifically protected the slave trade and slavery.
But if you want specifics about state laws, look at Illinois, which codified slavery under the guise of 'indentured servitude' as a punishment to blacks ONLY for having the termerity to enter the state. If they did not leave, they were fined $50 and up (a huge sum at the time), and upon failing to pay that were sold at auction to the highest bidder for a period of years. Any white person bringing a black into the state could be fined several hundrds of dollars, with earlier Illinois laws proscribing between 25-39 lashes for any white person bringing blacks into the state.
Don't you read posts addressed to you? 4CJ explained that to you above. As he said, it was a matter of state law, like marriage.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/1705.html
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:88D_Z89HxD4J:www.ambrosevideo.com/resources/docs/143.PDF+slave+codes+1705&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&ie=UTF-8
Here is an example of one of the colonial laws (Maryland) that continued to be practiced after the US was formed:
That if any free negro or mulatto intermarry with any white woman, or if any white man shall intermarry with any negro or mulatto woman, such negro or mulatto shall become a slave during life, excepting mulattoes born of white women, who, for such intermarriage shall only become servants for seven years, to be disposed of as the justices of the county court where such marriage so happens, shall think fit, to be applied by them towards the support of a public school, within the said county, and any white man or white woman who shall intermarry, as aforesaid, with any negro or mulatto, such white man or white woman shall become servants during the term of seven years, and shall be disposed by the justices as aforesaid, and be applied to the uses aforesaid.