Fugitive Slave Act Of 1850 Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Fugitive Slave Act Of 1850?

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was a federal law passed by the United States Congress as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slaveholding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. It was one of the most controversial laws ever passed in the United States, as it required all citizens to assist in capturing runaway slaves and returning them to their owners. It also allowed for slave owners or agents to seize runaway slaves without due process and punish anyone who aided them.The primary purpose of this law was to strengthen enforcement of existing fugitive slave laws, which had been on the books since 1793 but were rarely enforced in certain states due to public resistance. Under this law, any person suspected of being a runaway slave could be arrested without a warrant and brought before a judge or commissioner for examination. If found guilty, they could then be returned to their owner or sent farther south into slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act also provided monetary compensation to those who captured runaways; $10 if they escaped with no violence, $20 if there was violence involved. This act sparked an immediate outcry from members of both sides of the slavery debatethose who opposed it saw it as an affront to basic civil liberties while those who supported it viewed it as an essential tool for protecting property rights and upholding the rule of law. Additionally, many Northerners felt that this law violated their own state laws prohibiting slavery or aiding escaped slaves (known as personal liberty laws). As such, many states refused to comply with its provisions, leading some Southerners (including President Franklin Pierce) to call for its repeal in 1852; however, Congress refused and instead strengthened enforcement measures even further through additional legislation (such as increased fines). Ultimately, although this act remained technically legal until 1865 when it was abolished with ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment outlawing slavery throughout America, its legality had become largely moot by that point due largely in part due to increasing resistance from Northern citizens refusingoften violentlyto cooperate with its provisions. The Fugitive Slave Act is thus remembered today not only for its role in exacerbating tensions between North and South but also for sparking a greater consciousness among Americans about basic human rights that would ultimately lead towards emancipation from bondage throughout all corners of our nation over time.