This paper will provide an analysis of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 first by providing a background on the document and the period in which it was created. Then it will explain the importance of the document, focusing on what it provides on the issue of race and how race ties into the political climate of the time. Lastly, it will address the limitations of the source. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was written by the United States Congress as a means of strengthening its predecessor, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. Signed by President Millard Fillmore, this new act imposed fines on any official who did not capture and return fugitive slaves. Its predecessor, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, required runaway slaves to be returned to their …show more content…
In 1849, due to an increase in population, California petitioned to become a state. Since slavery was outlawed in the territory of California they would enter the Union as a free state. At the time, there were fifteen slave states and fifteen free states. California entering the Union as a free state would have put the South at a disadvantage. As a result, Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky created a set of laws known as the Compromise of 1850, to satisfy both the Northern and Southern states. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was one of five laws created under this compromise. In addition to imposing fines on any official who did not return a runaway slave to their owner, the act also created specialized commissioners in counties throughout the nation. These commissioners were given the power to issue arrest warrants on runaway slaves. The law had no set statute of limitations thus allowing owners to reclaim their slaves despite how long they had been living freely. Nevertheless, the fugitive act was not limited to slaves. It also made it illegal for anyone to harbor slaves and implemented sanctions that included fines, jail time, and restitution to the slave