Fugitive Slave Act

The Fugitive Slave Act was an 1850 law to help Southern slaveholders recapture

runaway slaves. This act created a lot of controversy throughout the nation of America. The

South (Confederate States of America) and the North (Union) had two completely distinct

opinions on the Fugitive Slave Act. This was because the North wanted to abolish slavery and

stop the westward expansion of slavery. On the other hand, the South wanted to expand slavery

to the West and keep slavery because the slaves helped most of the South to work around their

broad plantation and grow crops, cotton, etc. The Southern slaveholders and Northern Free

Soilers Party both tried to get what they want, and both sides were willing to do anything to

fulfill their quests.

Many Northerners opposed the Fugitive Slave Act because it forced regular citizens and

the police of the Northerner states of the Union to help capture runaway slaves whether they

wanted to or not. If they did not listen to Congress’ orders, they would be punished or arrested

for not helping Southerner slaveholders to recapture their slaves. The North was against slavery

and really wanted it to end. Since most slaves escaped from their masters in the South and ran

away to the North, the North really didn’t care, but still wanted slavery to end. The Union were

afraid if slavery sticked around for even a longer time, the South would gain more and more

power and soon enough even dominate the North too. And because of this major situation across

America, the South and North had their own government, etc., and slavery was the biggest

reason why all of this occurred in the 1800s.

Most white Southerners supported the Fugitive Slave Act because the South believed that

their slaves are their private property and consider them “people” too just so they can get more
representation from Congress, known as the Three-Fifths Compromise. Also, the Confederate

States wanted to keep their slaves because the slaves do the majority of the working, planting,

and cropping important materials for their master, such as cotton, vegetables, and fruits. Without

their slaves, the Southern slaveholders would not have complete anything they need in their

plantation and white family. Slavery helps Southern slave owners protect most of their rights,

including property rights and others. This law of the Fugitive Slave Act was mandatory and

forced the North to assist the South in capturing their runaway slaves escaped from their masters.

I think the Fugitive Slave Act was unfair to America because it wasn’t fair if the South

can recapture their slaves that already ran away to the North. The South should only try

recapturing their slaves if the slaves are a few miles near the master’s plantation. Federal

commission made a ruling; There would be a $5 dollar fee for releasing the master’s slave and a

charge of $10 dollars for returning the slave. There were no rights to a trial for arguing or even

favoring the Fugitive Slave in any court, including the Supreme Court located in the nation’s

capital, that time in the state of Maryland. Accused fugitives could be held without an arrest

warrant and slave catches roamed the North.

In conclusion, the Confederate States of America and the Union had completely different

opinions on the creation of the Fugitive Slave Act. The Free-Soiler Party of the North and the

slaveholders in the South basically argued why the Fugitive Slave Act really helped the South

and why the North were angered by the federal law. The people of the United States of America

had no word whatsoever in the Congress’ ruling of the Fugitive Slave Act. Why did Congress

create this act? Maybe, they wanted the South and North to have an equal amount of power since

they were two nations that made up one, independent country.