Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

The U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act in September of 1850, and it was signed into law by President Millard Fillmore. The law declared that all runaway (or fugitive) slaves must be returned to their masters even if they had successfully reached a free state. It even required that all free citizens cooperate with the authorities to help return these fugitives, and in effect legislated that all free Americans become slave-catchers including those who were abolitionists and hated slavery.

“A government,” said the Underground Railroad historian Wilbur Siebert, “whose first national manifesto contained the exalted principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, stooping to the task of slave-catching, violates all their ideas of national dignity, decency and consistency.” 

 Because of this unjustified use of force by the Federal Government, many people in the North soon began taking more creative and dangerous steps to secure the protection of fugitives who they happened to come in contact with.

-- background on the Fugitive Slave Laws of 1850

from Time Trip #2 

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

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TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

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TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

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TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4

KILLING FOR COUNTRY  

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