Compensated emancipation

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Compensated emancipation was a method of ending slavery in countries where slavery was legal. This involved the person who was recognized as the owner of a slave being paid for releasing the slave. This typically was part of an act that outlawed slavery outright or established a scheme whereby slavery would eventually be phased out.

Nearly all countries that eliminated slavery did so through some form of compensated emancipation. A notable exception was the United States, where slavery was abolished in the aftermath of the American Civil War.