Premium Essay

Fugitive Slave Act: Compromise Of 1850

Submitted By
Words 378
Pages 2
Fugitive Slave Act also known as the Fugitive Slave Law is a federal law that was passed by the United States congress on September 18, 1850. This act allowed the capturing and returning of runaway slave within the United States. The Fugitive Slave Act was part of a group of laws referred to as the Compromise of 1850. This federal law was a controversial part of the Compromise of 1850, and raised Northern fears of a slave power conspiracy. The Fugitive Slave Act was signed and favored by the United States president Millard Filmore.
The earlier Fugitive Slave Act was written to enforce Article 4 section 2 of the United States constitution. Article 4 section 2 of the United States constitution required to return the runaway slaves. Many Northern

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

History Tutorial

...title The compromise of 1850 was a major cause of the civil war as it led to the south seceding from the north because they felt like they had no power within their own government. It started when the United States acquired a vast amount of land as a result of the war with Mexico. The question was whether or not they would allow slavery or declared free, since California had the gold rush in 1849 it was petitioning to congress to become a free state. Ever since the Missouri compromise the slave to free state ratio was balanced, so letting California in as a free state would make it unbalanced. On january 29, 1850 Henry Clay, a senator from kentucky proposed a compromise. According to the compromise the territories of Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona would be organized without mention of slavery, which later the inhabitants of the area agreed to when they applied for statehood. It also noted that the slave trade in Washington D.C would be abolished although slavery would still be allowed, and finally California was admitted as a free state and in order for that to satisfy slave-state politicians the fugitive slave act was passed. The fugitive slave act was one of the most controversial, it made it so people had to aid in the return of a runaway slave, also it denied a fugitive’s right to a jury trial. More often than not these fugitive’s cases were handled by special commissioners, these commissioners would be paid Five dollars if the alleged fugitive was set free...

Words: 1020 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Comparison and Contrast on the Compromise of 1850

...and Daniel Webster’s Speeches on the Compromise of 1850 The Compromise of 1850 was a proposed solution to the conflict over slavery in the new territories acquired in the Mexican-American War by Kentucky Senator Henry Clay. It consisted of laws that admitted California into the Union as a free state, the Fugitive Slave Act would be amended, the slave trade in Washington, D.C. would be abolished, a government created in Utah, and boundaries set between Texas and New Mexico. The Compromise of 1850 was first introduced at the Senate meeting in February 1850. The proposal brought about heavy debates from John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster, and William Henry Seward. They were similar because each man loved and served their country and was passionate about their view of the issues of slavery and the new territories and believed their opinion was correct; however they were very different in what each believed to be fair and true. John C. Calhoun of South Carolina did not support The Compromise of 1850. He believed it was a betrayal to the south. He argued that the North and South were almost on equal grounds when the Constitution was ratified with an equal division of the States, but all of this was threatened by the Northern influence on government. Clay also argued that if Northerners wanted the south to stay in the Union they would have to stop in their attempts to limit slavery. Daniel Webster of Massachusetts supported The Compromise of 1850 proposed by Henry Clay of Kentucky...

Words: 549 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Dbq Compromise Of 1850

...In the time between 1850 and 1861, slavery became a major conflict within the American government and its citizens. In determining whether the Constitution is a source of disunion in the United States, it is important to look at different angles of interpretation. Morally, interpretations of the Constitution influence the rights and wrongs of slavery and the laws along with it. Socially, principles and provisions of the Constitution allow for the states to grasp rights, but also allow others to limit them. Politically, viewpoints from political figures on the Constitution bring forward ideas and opinions on laws regarding states’ rights and disunion. By the 1850s, the Constitution became a factor in the failure of the Union due to the opposing...

Words: 1280 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Causes Of The Compromise Of 1850

...President of the United States from 1825 to 1832. The Compromise of 1850 dealt with the following problems: If California were a free state, what to do with the slavery question in the North and South? There were many issues to discuss: slavery, the slave trade, corrupt politicians and how poorly the states were dealing with them the reality of slavery. (ouleft.org, pg 1, staff; civilwar.org, staff, ) Another question was the issue with the unresolved Texas...

Words: 1305 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Compromises of 1820 and 1850

...power-point notes compare and contrast the compromises of 1820 and 1850. Slavery came about in America in 1619 (RN). It lasted through the American Revolution, even after Thomas Jefferson scripted his famous lines in the Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Clearly, slaves were not part of this included in Jefferson's words. When it came time to write the Constitution, the word "slavery" was never used. Instead, the framers chose to use the term "other people." These other people were counted as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation in Congress according to the Three-Fifths Compromise (RN). This compromise kept slavery in the United States unharmed. The framers also decided not to do anything about the issue of slavery for twenty years. Prior to the American Civil War, many different compromises were made in an attempt to hinder the growing disagreements. However, this only extended the unavoidable events that would occur. The differences between North and South were far to great and compromise did not stand a chance at preventing the imminent conflict. This was most clearly shown in the ways in which the two main compromises: the Compromise of 1820, also known as the Missouri Compromise, and the Compromise of 1850 failed. In 1820 Missouri wanted to join the Union as a slave state. Prior to this decision, the...

Words: 2024 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Peru

...Britney Vargas Professor Zappia History 17-3759 Essay Question 5 The Compromise of 1850 began to come apart almost immediately, and the most contentious issue was the Fugitive Slave Act. Discuss its effects on Fugitive slaves as well as reactions to it in the North and South. The Compromise of 1850 started to fail almost as soon as it was created. There were many reasons why it failed and the leading reason towards its failure was the newly enacted Fugitive Slave Act. The Fugitive Slave Act was very beneficial through the south because it was in their favor. On the other hand the North despised it because they saw it as a bribe. The Slave Act did not stop slaves from running away. The Fugitive Slave Act was very beneficial toward the south because it required slaves that had run away. They were caught and they were retuned to the south without a trial. The determining factor for fugitive slave to return was the decision of a commissioner, whether or not the slaves would return to the south. The reason why it was in the souths favor was because the commissioner would receive 10 dollars per any slave sent to the south and only 5 dollars if they were free. That is the reason why the north was disbelieved with the fugitive slave act, because they saw it as a pride. The Fugitive Slave Act did not stop slaves from running away. The act made it more difficult for slaves to become free instead of going to the north for freedom they would have to go out of the country instead...

Words: 318 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Civil War Dbq

...dispute was the fact that the North and the south had many differences, as it pertained to slave states and free states, in which slaves were freed. The main three events that catalyzed the civil war were the compromises that did not work, The Fugitive Slave Act, and last but not least the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854....

Words: 540 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

American History

...The differences between the North and the South, economically, geographically, and politically, were major players on why the two divided halves of the America could not prosper together at that time; that and the fact that the previous attempts to compromise on slavery had reached an unavoidable end also made the Civil War an inevitable and undeniable conclusion to the problems brewing between the two sides. There was simply no further room for compromise. There were many differences between the North and the South. The most obvious of which is that the North was, for the most part, industrial; while the South on the other hand was economically dependent of the production of staple crops (primarily cotton). The production of cotton in the South with the advent of the cotton gin soared, causing an increase of labor required; this lead to an increased dependency on slave labor in the south. Slavery was something the North often looked down upon and also held little or no value to them. How could a nation survive with no conflict when there were two very distinct sides that held opposing economic ideals and beliefs? Beginning with the establishment of the Constitution, there was a general acceptance of slavery, or the compromises that allowed for its continued existence. The framers of the Constitution believed that concessions on slavery were the price for the support of southern...

Words: 1809 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Use Your Own Knowledge to Assess How Far the Sources Support the Interpretation That Disagreements over Westward Expansion Were the Main Cause of Conflict Within the Union in the Years 1820-1854

...to westward expansion however it is E that fully agrees to the statement. Source E strongly agrees with the statement because it is talking about the territory in particular the territory of Nebraska for example is says ‘Vast unoccupied region’ this shows that Nebraska was a problem and was making politics sectional. It also mentions ‘vast territory yet exempt from these terrible evils’ this is suggesting that the Nebraska territory is all part of the slave power conspiracy which Douglas was now part of as he substituted the Missouri Compromise for popular sovereignty which angered the North as it could lead to the expansion of slavery. This can be shown in source E from when it says ‘violation of a sacred pledge, as a criminal betrayal’ the scared pledge is the Missouri compromise in addition the criminal betrayal is the slave power conspiracy. The betrayer is Douglas as he was thought now to be a part of it alongside with pierce. Douglas is a key player is Source E as well as in source C as he was part of the Missouri compromise. However, in source C he helped to sort a problem whereas in...

Words: 2657 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Missouri Compromise

...political compromise in reducing sectional tensions was very poor, as demonstrated by the Missouri Compromise, the compromise of 1850, and the Kansas Nebraska act. These compromises created very little help in trying to repair the tensions. One of the first compromises to try to loosen the tensions was the Missouri Compromise. It all started when Missouri was pushing to become a state. At this time the controversy between having slave vs free states was major. There were 11 free states and 11 slave states. This was an even balance for the North and the South so, having Missouri come in as a free state would grant the North more power over the South. The politician Henry Clay came up with the grand idea of admitting another state, (Maine) as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. At the time this seemed brilliant, but really it still failed to loosen the tensions. This is shown when it is repealed by the Kansas Nebraska Act in...

Words: 580 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Civil War

...the Civil War listed in chronological order. 1. The Mexican War Ended - 1848 With the end of the Mexican War, America was ceded western territories. This posed a problem: as these new territories would be admitted as states, would they be free or slave? To deal with this, Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 which basically made California free and allowed the people to pick in Utah and New Mexico. This ability of a state to decide whether it would allow slavery was called popular sovereignty. Sponsored Links Civil War History & MoreCivil War Stories, Photos & More. Join The History Club. Free Issue.thehistorychannelclub.com Pulitzer WinnersSun on C-SPAN2’s Book TV Pulitzer Winners, 9:45am-1:15pmET.www.booktv.org TalkPointVirtual Meetings & Events Cost Effective Webcasting Solutionswww.talkpointcommunications.com 2. Fugitive Slave Act - 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act forced any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery. This act increased the Underground Railroad activity as fleeing slaves made their way to Canada. 3. Uncle Tom's Cabin Was Released Uncle Tom's Cabin or Life Among the Lowly was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was an abolitionist who wrote this book to show the evils of slavery. This book, which was a...

Words: 345 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Causes Leading Up to the Civil War

...towards the Civil War listed in chronological order. 1. The Mexican War Ended - 1848 With the end of the Mexican War, America was ceded western territories. This posed a problem: as these new territories would be admitted as states, would they be free or slave? To deal with this, Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 which basically made California free and allowed the people to pick in Utah and New Mexico. This ability of a state to decide whether it would allow slavery was called popular sovereignty. Sponsored Links Civil War History & MoreCivil War Stories, Photos & More. Join The History Club. Free Issue.thehistorychannelclub.com Pulitzer WinnersSun on C-SPAN2’s Book TV Pulitzer Winners, 9:45am-1:15pmET.www.booktv.org TalkPointVirtual Meetings & Events Cost Effective Webcasting Solutionswww.talkpointcommunications.com 2. Fugitive Slave Act - 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act forced any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery. This act increased the Underground Railroad activity as fleeing slaves made their way to Canada. 3. Uncle Tom's Cabin Was Released Uncle Tom's Cabin or Life Among the Lowly was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was an abolitionist who wrote this book to show the evils of slavery. This book, which was a best seller...

Words: 1735 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Historical Timeline and Essay

...Revolutionary War, America went into two different economical directions: the North became industrial the South agricultural. Although it is believed the underlying cause behind the Civil War was due to the abolition of slavery (slaves were considered a major asset in the southern states), the following timeline shows there were many other factors involved as well. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the firing of the first shots at Fort Sumter, America’s journey for equality and unity was a hard one, leaving in its wake destruction, discord, and civil unrest. ____________________________________________________________ ____________ 1776: Declaration of Independence • Was written by Thomas Jefferson • Was signed on July 4th, severing all ties to Britain 1787: Northwest Ordinance • Was passed on July 13th establishing the intent to expand into the West adding new states to the Union. Constitutional Convention • Held their final meeting on September 17th signing into effect the Constitution of the United States. 1794: The Cotton Gin • Was patented by Eli Whitney, increasing the production of clean cotton • The value of and need for slaves increased within the cotton states. 1820: The Missouri Compromise • Was established to...

Words: 2773 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Reasons For The Compromise Of 1850

...attempts at compromise sought to resolve the ever-growing divide between the North and South, these desperate efforts only postponed the inevitable. Tensions surrounding states’ rights, western expansion, and the rise of the abolitionist movement made compromise impossible by 1860 and led to southern secession. ​The conflict between individual state power versus federal power reappeared and further separated the country, as southerners fought to protect their agrarian economy. The passing of the Tariff of 1828 sparked southern protest. The tariff bill imposed high tariffs on imported goods, in an attempt to protect the North’s manufacturing industries. The protective tariff would raise the price of foreign imports and discourage...

Words: 1004 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Essay On Missouri Compromise

...Missouri Compromise of 1820 In 1819, Missouri requested statehood, and the freedom to become a slave state. This set off a heated debate, as the twenty two states then part of the union were evenly divided eleven and eleven between free and slave. While northerners, in accordance with their plan to slowly kill off slavery by not allowing new states to be free, were against the idea of Missouri being a slave state, while Southerners used a state's rights argument. They reasoned that, like the original thirteen states, new states should be able to decide the issue of slavery for themselves. In the end, both sides reached a compromise. In the immediate future, so the states were not unbalanced, Maine became a free state, and going forward no state north of the...

Words: 1469 - Pages: 6