Fugitive Slave Act was a law that was passed in
the 1850's to stop runaway slaves and the Underground Railroad, a group that
helped runaway slaves.
The Underground Railroad was a network of people who helped runaway slaves
escape to where slaves were free, the North and Canada. The South had lost
100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850 because of the Underground Railroad.
They lost so many slaves that they pushed the U.S. Government to pass the
Fugitive Slave Act.
The Fugitive Slave Act allowed the slave owner to go into a free State and
take back their slave. If anyone was to see a runaway slave they would have
to return him/her to the rightful owner. If they refused to return a runaway
slave they would have to pay $1,000.
If the slave owner found and brought back the slave both, the owner and the
slave would have to go to a commissioner, a judge. If the commissioner released
the slave, the commissioner, would receive $5.00 and if he let the slave go
back to owner they would receive $10.00. So most were sent back to the owner.
The Fugitive Slave Act ended with the Civil War because all states were then
made free.
For more information visit the following sites:
http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/blfugitive_slave_law.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASfugitive.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2951.html