Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Wed Sep 18, 1850

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On this day in 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the U.S. Congress as part of the Compromise of 1850, compelling all in free states to return fugitive slaves to their would-be masters and banning suspected slaves from legal appeal.

The Compromise of 1850 was brokered between Southern slavers and Northern Free-Soilers. This law greatly expanded on the racialized terror of the previous Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, written with the intent to enforce Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which required the return of runaway enslaved people.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 compelled all authorities in free states to return fugitives of enslavement to their masters, penalizing officials who did not arrest an alleged runaway slave, prevented suspected slaves from asking for a jury trial or testifying on their own behalf, and subjected any person aiding a fugitive slave by providing food or shelter with six months’ imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.

The Act was one of the most controversial elements of the 1850 compromise; abolitionists nicknamed it the “Bloodhound Bill”. The political fallout from its passage is considered by some historians to be one of the causes of the Civil War.

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• Date: 1850-09-18
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu, www.britannica.com.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org