Final answer:
The First Confiscation Act was passed in August 1861 by the Republican-dominated Congress. It empowered the Union to seize property used by the Confederacy, including enslaved individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The First Confiscation Act was passed in August 1861 by the Republican-dominated Congress. This act empowered the Union to seize property, including enslaved individuals, that was used by the Confederacy. It was followed by a Second Confiscation Act in July 1862, which extended freedom to escaped enslaved people and those captured by Union armies.