History glossary
Fugitive Slave Act
a federal law requiring the capture and return of people who had escaped slavery.
- Category
- Law
- Region
- United States
- Date range
- 1850-1864
What it means
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 strengthened federal enforcement against people who escaped slavery. It required officials and citizens in free states to assist in captures, denied accused escapees basic legal protections, and made slavery harder for Northerners to ignore.
