# data[].attributes.headline
The Fugitive Slave Acts were congressional statutes passed in 1793 and 1850 that permitted for the seizure and return of runaway slaves who escaped from one state and fled into another (Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, as a part of the Compromise of 1850, required that the U.S. government actively intervene to help slave owners regain control over their slaves (Ohio History Connection, n.d.). This act dictated that fugitive slaves were neither allowed to testify on their own behalf, nor were they allowed to have a trial by jury (Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). This was “justified” through legislators’ claims that African Americans could not be United States citizens and thus were not afforded any protections (Ohio History Connection, n.d.). 

# data[].attributes.subject
The Fugitive Slave Acts were congressional statutes passed in 1793 and 1850 that permitted for the seizure and return of runaway slaves who escaped from one state and fled into another (Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, as a part of the Compromise of 1850, required that the U.S. government actively intervene to help slave owners regain control over their slaves (Ohio History Connection, n.d.). This act dictated that fugitive slaves were neither allowed to testify on their own behalf, nor were they allowed to have a trial by jury (Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). This was “justified” through legislators’ claims that African Americans could not be United States citizens and thus were not afforded any protections (Ohio History Connection, n.d.). 

# data[].attributes.body
Moreover, federal marshals who refused to enforce the law and individuals who helped slaves to escape were heavily penalized and were fined $1,000 (Ohio History Connection, n.d.). Furthermore, special commissioners were given concurrent jurisdiction with U.S. courts enforcing this act (Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). This was determined to be wildly corrupt, for these special commissioners were paid $10 to rule in favor of slave owners, but they only received $5 if they sided with slaves. Between 1850 and 1860, 343 fugitive slaves appeared before these special commission, and of those, 332 were returned to slavery in the South (Ohio History Connection, n.d.).

# data[].attributes.headline
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was immediately met with a firestorm of criticism. Northerners bristled at the idea of turning their states into a stalking ground for bounty hunters, and many argued the law was tantamount to legalized kidnapping. Some abolitionists organized clandestine resistance groups and built complex networks of safe houses to aid slaves in their escape to the North.

# data[].attributes.subject
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was immediately met with a firestorm of criticism. Northerners bristled at the idea of turning their states into a stalking ground for bounty hunters, and many argued the law was tantamount to legalized kidnapping. Some abolitionists organized clandestine resistance groups and built complex networks of safe houses to aid slaves in their escape to the North.

# data[].attributes.body
Just one month after writing this letter, Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which announced that at the beginning of 1863, he would use his war powers to free all slaves in states still in rebellion as they came under Union control.

# data[].attributes.body
Their safety and freedom would not be reached until they entered into Canada. Not all slaves traveled north. There were also Underground Railroad lines that lead southen route for Mexico and the Caribbean. Frederick Douglass was another fugitive slave who escaped slavery.

# data[].attributes.headline
Widespread resistance to the 1793 law led to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which added more provisions regarding runaways and levied even harsher punishments for interfering in their capture. The Fugitive Slave Acts were among the most controversial laws of the early 19th century.

# data[].attributes.subject
Widespread resistance to the 1793 law led to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which added more provisions regarding runaways and levied even harsher punishments for interfering in their capture. The Fugitive Slave Acts were among the most controversial laws of the early 19th century.

# data[].attributes.body
The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave-holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. ... Abolitionists nicknamed it the "Bloodhound Law", for the dogs that were used to track down runaway slaves.

# data[].attributes.body
The 1793 Act gave slave owners the right to recover escaped fugitive slaves and required citizens to help in the return of an escaped slave from one state to another. ... The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act was nicknamed it the "Bloodhound Law" by Abolitionists because dogs were used by slave catchers to track down fugitives.

# data[].attributes.body
Why is the souths position on the fugitive slave act ironic? the south wanted states right, and not federal authority because fed authority could be used to destroyslavery. but now, with the fugitive slave law, they are all about federal law because it destroyed abolitionists and returned slaves. ... escaped slave.

# data[].attributes.body
Following increased pressure from Southern politicians, Congress passed a revised Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. Part of Henry Clay's famed Compromise of 1850—a group of bills that helped quiet early calls for Southern secession—this new law forcibly compelled citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves.

# data[].attributes.body
Passed on September 18, 1850 by Congress, The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was part of the Compromise of 1850. The act required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. The act also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves.

# data[].attributes.body
The earlier Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was a Federal law which was written with the intent to enforce Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution, which required the return of runaway slaves. It sought to force the authorities in free states to return fugitive slaves to their masters.

# data[].attributes.body
Despite the inclusion of the Fugitive Slave Clause in the U.S. Constitution, anti-slavery sentiment remained high in the North throughout the late 1780s and early 1790s, and many petitioned Congress to abolish the practice outright.

# data[].attributes.body
The "Annals of Congress" state that the law was approved on February 12, 1793. TheAct was strengthened at the insistence of the slave states of the South by the Compromise of 1850, which required even the governments and the residents of free states to enforce the capture and return of fugitive slaves.

# data[].attributes.headline
Enacted by Congress in 1793, the first Fugitive Slave Act authorized local governments to seize and return escaped slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight.

# data[].attributes.subject
Enacted by Congress in 1793, the first Fugitive Slave Act authorized local governments to seize and return escaped slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight.

# data[].attributes.headline
Statutes regarding refugee slaves existed in America as early as 1643 and the New England Confederation, and slave laws were later enacted in several of the 13 original colonies.

# data[].attributes.subject
Statutes regarding refugee slaves existed in America as early as 1643 and the New England Confederation, and slave laws were later enacted in several of the 13 original colonies.

# data[].attributes.body
The Fugitive Slave Acts were a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves within the territory of the United States.