The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 Essays

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 Essays The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 Essay The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 Essay Tensions between the North and the South were building up prior to the Civil War as slavery became a heated issue between those two regions. Many abolitionist helped many slaves to secretly reach freedom in the North or Canada through the Underground Railroad. Southerners felt that former laws passed by the Congress were not followed as they were supposed to be, because of legal deficiencies. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was part of the Compromise of 1850 and required all citizens to help catch runaway slaves which often lived as free citizens in northern cities. The law made northerners feels like they were part of the slave system, and therefore they were upset by it. It was said that around 3,000 black already had fled to the North and Canada. Some of the fugitive slaves used the Underground Railroad to reach Canada. This was done by many anti-slavery Committees in the North that helped them escape. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was composed of ten sections and allowed the sla ve-owner to bring an alleged fugitive before a special officer, a newly created federal commissioner, and use testimony of white witnesses or an affidavit from a court in a slavery state to prove ownership. However, northerners thought that the law was an attack on states rights. Slaveholders could enter their territory, look up for slaves, capture them and then return with them without process of law. This made the northerners angry. On the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 the Congress had active roles in ensuring retrieval of escaped slaves. Federal marshals also were enjoined to help recapture slaves, under $1000 penal fines. If a runaway escaped while in a marshals custody, the marshal had to give up the slaves full value to the owner. As in southern courts, slaves could not testify against whites. It was against the law for the slave to testify on his own behalf or request a jury trial. The federal c