The Fugitive Slave Law Of 1850

Slavery was the driving force for most of the political controversies during the 19th century. Not only has slavery created political controversies in the United States, but throughout the world.The Fugitive Slave Acts, revolts, and a political argument indicating if slavery should be legalized are the main aspects that caused these disputes.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 had increased sectionalism by intensifying the debate over slavery. The passing of the Fugitive Slave Act had increased sectionalism, which eventually led to the Civil War. In an attempt to resist the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, many Northern states had passed the Personal Liberty Laws. These laws had counteracted the Fugitive slave act and protected escaped slaves who had settled in the North. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 also allowed law enforcement to force bystanders to participate to help chasing runaway slaves. Any citizen who had aided a slave in their runaway could be imprisoned for 6 months or was fined $1,000.

The Fugitive slave law was an act passed to help southern slave owners maintain their slaves. The act was part of the “Compromise of 1850” proposed by Henry Clay. The compromise was made to resolve disputes between the south and north about land and slavery. The south ended up having slavery allowed below the “36,30” and California joined in as a free state. In the 1840s there were many problems of runaway slaves to the North to become free men. Later on the north was not pleased with the fugitive slave act because they felt as though they were helping promote slavery by returning runaway slaves. This would later lead to the “Personal Liberty Laws.”

The Fugitive Slave Laws allowed for slave owners to capture their runaway slave if they were within the United States territory (Fugitive Slave Acts). They started in 1793 and anyone who was caught aiding a slave escape was also punished. In 1850 another slave law was passed to allow for harsher punishment on runaways. By 1864 both of the laws were revoked by Congress.

By using this reference, it illustrated the severity of the alienation of blacks in the Southern United States. In 1619, a Dutch ship “introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation”. The Africans were not treated humanely, but were treated as workers with no rights. Originally, they were to work for poor white families for seven years and receive land and freedom in return. As the colonies prospered, the colonists did not want to give up their workers and in 1641, slavery was legalized.

The slaves were free, but they were still treated as

The Fugitive Slave Act was included in the Compromise and stated that any federal official who did not arrest runaway slaves

I believe that the Fugitive Slave Act was the main cause of the Civil War. This was when the south forced the north to catch any runaway slaves. Even if they just let the slave go through there property there is a high chance they could still get caught. When they get caught for not catching the slave they get fined 30,000 dollars in today's money. If they were to catch a slave and then have it run away it would be a 100,000 dollar fine. If a southerner wants to get a slave all they have to is get a certificate from a southern judge saying that it is his or her slave. The northerners were outraged because slavery was outlawed in the north so they didn't want to be a part of it. Many of the northerners were abolitionists. An abolitionist is

Also, many Texans believed that abolitionists were constantly trying to interfere with slavery. Abolitionists were always suspected of causing trouble, so as a result they had to be careful. The same story related to the supposed attempt of an African American child trying to blow up some houses in the Weekly Telegraph claimed that, it was likely that the African American child was helped out by white people. There were abolitionists in the town who willingly helped African Americans. Campbell pointed out that abolitionists were seen as enemies of the south by the Texans. Ministers at the Methodist Episcopal Church were giving sermons in north Texas. They never talked about slavery, but Texans started to believe that they were against slavery. In March 1859 some ministers at Timber Creek close to Bonham in Fannin County had angry citizens interfere

Slavery had led to a division in the United States. Northerners expressed the abolishment of slavery while the Southerners were in favor of it. During the 1850’s, the United States became polarized due to slavery sentiments on both sides and Congress passed Fugitive Slave Laws. Congress passed the fugitive slave laws in 1793 and 1850 to return slaves who had escaped from a slave state into a free state or territory. The ideology of the fugitive slave law was borrowed from the Fugitive Slave Clause in the United States Constitution (Article IV, Section 2, Paragraph 3).

The Fugitive Slave Act was a newly passed law by Congress. It made it a crime to help runaway slaves and allowed officials to arrest those slaves in free areas. Slaves weren’t allowed to run away to free states. Slaveholders were allowed to take suspected fugitives to U.S. commissioners, who decide where their fate. People who hid or helped a runaway slave faced six months in jail and also had to face a 1,000 dollar fine.

Freedom papers legally stated that a slave was no longer attached to the slave owner. Free slaves had the ability and almost the same rights as white men. Free slaves were counted as three-fourths of a person when it was time to vote. African Americans were always looking for a way to become free from slavery. African Americans became free by using the underground railroad to move North away from the South.

The dynamics of escaping slavery changed in 1850,with the passage of the fugitive slave law. This law stated that escaped slaves could be captured in the north and returned to slavery, leading to abduction of no-more slaves and free blacks living in free states. Law enforcement leaders of the north were compelled to aid in the capture of slaves. Regardless to their own principles. In response to law .

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was an Act of the United States Congress to give result to the Fugitive Slave Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In this acts, south purposed to assist the recapture and extradition of runaway slaves. In addition, they intended to make federal government giving a pledge to let holding property in slaves be legal. The international slave-trade clause restricted slavery after 20 years. As Waldstreicher illuminated that this clause gave slavery 20 years for wanton trade (2015).

One of the very important items of the Compromise of 1850 was the provision for a stronger Fugitive Slave Law. With the Fugitive Slave Law, it made was federal crime to not return a runaway slave to the south. With this law any suspected runaway slave was to be tried by a single judge, but not by a jury. The judge was compensated by a system that would provide them with more money if they decide that the slave was guilty and not innocent. Obviously this law encouraged people not to harbor runaway slaves, but when the slaves were caught it provide the judge an incentive to have them returned to the south.