6. The Birthplace of the Contraband Decision
During the Civil War, Fort Monroe became the site of a revolutionary legal precedent. In 1861, Union General Benjamin Butler declared that enslaved people escaping to the fort would be considered “contraband of war” and not returned to Confederate owners. Smithsonian Magazine notes this bold decision offered thousands a path to freedom, transforming Fort Monroe into a beacon of hope and a catalyst for the eventual abolition of slavery.
