U.S. Constitution, Article 4, Section 2, paragraph 3 stated,

"No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due."

This was the section of the Constitution which was repealed by the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery.

This Paragraph does NOT limit the "person held to service" to being only of African decent. While African Slavery was the predominate form within the United States. And that was because slaves were purchased primarily as labor and the source of supply was african in origin. This paragraph however, does not say that this is the only manner by which a person could be held to service either.

If you will notice that the 13th Amendment specifically excludes freeing people "held to service" in Prisons. Does that indicate that criminals in prisons were concidered as Slaves to the state prior to the War for Southern Independence?

Certainly this little girl (if white) would not have been a "slave" because of Criminal activity unless it was for maybe like theft. But what I am driving at here is that the attitudes and definitions of terms were much different than we precieve today. And that there was more than one way of being "held to service" and being a de facto slave than just being purchased straight off the boat from Africa at the docks.

Where did Mrs Stowe find this child? Was she maybe a house servant in a well to do home up north where Mrs Stowe lived?