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Fugitive Slave Act Research Paper

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The Fugitive slave act was enacted by the United States congress on September 18, 1850
It made any federal marshal or other official who did not arrest an alleged runaway slave Subject to a fine of $1,000. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 empowered federal commissioners to issue warrants, depose witnesses, and employ federal marshals to arrest and imprison suspected runaways within the jurisdictions of the individual states. Historians estimate that eighty percent of accused runaways brought before federal commissioners under the fugitive slave act of 1850 were sent into bondage. Many Northerners disapproved of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 because it circumvented state and local jurisdiction and expanded the power of the federal government. Moreover, federal marshals who refused to enforce the law and individuals who helped slaves to escape were heavily penalized and were fined $1,000Furthermore, special commissioners were given concurrent jurisdiction with U.S. courts enforcing this act. But although the Constitution recognized the institution of slavery and the rights of slave owners, it was still unclear just what the law required of the people and officials in free states in regard to the matter of fugitive slaves. In 1847 the Court reaffirmed the constitutionality of the 1793 act in Jones v. Van Zandt. …show more content…
Southerners grew ever angrier and pressed for legislation that would more strongly protect their right to reclaim fugitive slaves.Northerners saw this act as substantially more intrusive than the act of 1793, and their reaction was swift.In 1851, Frederick Wilkins, known as shadrach, a fugitive slave from virginia was rescued from a boston courtroom and helped to escape to

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