The Fugitive Slave Acts were basically laws stating that any person could capture and return runaway slaves to their plantations inside the United States. The acts were favored by individuals who stood for slavery such as Southerners, but also opposed by many who were usually Northerners. Around the time when slavery existed the phenomena of runway slaves were heavy. When the first Fugitive Slave Act was created there were many slaves who were able to run away into freedom but when the new Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was put into place, less runaways were able to do so due to its enhanced penalties and regulations.
According to www.history.com the Fugitive Slave Acts were “a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of …show more content…
This slave act “authorized local governments to seize and return escaped slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight” (www.history.com). In the beginning there was heavy resistance to the act and many people opposed it as a result. This law “gave slave owners the right to recover escaped fugitives slaves and required citizens to help in return of an escaped slave from one state to another” (www.American-historama.org). It also penalized individuals $500 if they helped runaway slaves and established Slave Patrols in the South, but didn’t last long due to the fact that it wasn’t very strong. The laws were rarely enforced in the North due to its enforcement being left up to the states and public opinion in the area strengthened which opposed slavery even …show more content…
An exception to slave states was created in the South as a part of the Compromise of 1850 which was out to find agreement between slave states in the South and free states in the North. It was also made due to many slaves escaping from their plantations in the South into freedom in Northern States which was a problem for the South when it came to workers and production as they lost a tremendous amount of it. The Abolitionist Movement which attempted to end all form of slavery in the country was also created and put into play in 1830 with growing support behind it. Lastly, the Underground Railroad also began being used in the year of 1832 which provided a safer and discrete way for slaves to escape to free Northern
According to www.history.com the Fugitive Slave Acts were “a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of …show more content…
This slave act “authorized local governments to seize and return escaped slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight” (www.history.com). In the beginning there was heavy resistance to the act and many people opposed it as a result. This law “gave slave owners the right to recover escaped fugitives slaves and required citizens to help in return of an escaped slave from one state to another” (www.American-historama.org). It also penalized individuals $500 if they helped runaway slaves and established Slave Patrols in the South, but didn’t last long due to the fact that it wasn’t very strong. The laws were rarely enforced in the North due to its enforcement being left up to the states and public opinion in the area strengthened which opposed slavery even …show more content…
An exception to slave states was created in the South as a part of the Compromise of 1850 which was out to find agreement between slave states in the South and free states in the North. It was also made due to many slaves escaping from their plantations in the South into freedom in Northern States which was a problem for the South when it came to workers and production as they lost a tremendous amount of it. The Abolitionist Movement which attempted to end all form of slavery in the country was also created and put into play in 1830 with growing support behind it. Lastly, the Underground Railroad also began being used in the year of 1832 which provided a safer and discrete way for slaves to escape to free Northern