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Abolition movement
Fugitive slave acts of 1793 and 1850
Fugitive slave acts of 1793 and 1850
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According to their tenets, fugitives had no right to a jury trial and citizens were ordered to aid in he recovery of the fugitive slaves. The special commissioners treated the cases of the fugitives. They were paid $5 if a fugitive was liberated and $10 if the captive was returned to slavery. Furthermore, the act appealed for several changes that made the process of filing a claim against a fugitive easier and effortless for slave holders. The new law was devastating.
According to the Tenth Amendment of the constitution, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”. There have been moments in history where Congress has implemented laws that states felt were unconstitutional. The Constitution gave states the ability to counter the federal government’s power through the Judiciary branch of government, when they feel a law is unconstitutional. The Founders of our nation gave Congress enumerated powers to pass legislation that needs to be abided by all states and citizens. At times Congress will overstep its powers by enacting laws that are unconstitutional and the states have the right to challenge those powers.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was an act that passed as part of the compromise of 1850 that allowed runaway slaves that were cauthe to be returned to their masters and that the northern free state citizens and officials had to cooperate with this compromise. SB 1070 was a bill that passed that required all aliens over the age of 14 to have documents and to register with the United States government if they plan to stay for longer than 30 days. It would have been a misdemeanor crime to be in Arizona without the right documents and it gave the rights to the state law enforcement to stop, detain or arrested the individuals when there is reasonable suspicion that he/she were an illegal immigrants. The legal similarities between The Fugitive Act of 1850 and SB 1070 was that who ever gave a ride and helped a black person from escaping from slavery can be fined for 1,000 dollars and even be in jail for six months.
I believe that the Fugitive Slave Act was the main cause of the Civil War. This was when the south forced the north to catch any runaway slaves. Even if they just let the slave go through there property there is a high chance they could still get caught. When they get caught for not catching the slave they get fined 30,000 dollars in today's money. If they were to catch a slave and then have it run away it would be a 100,000 dollar fine.
The Fugitive slave law was an act passed to help southern slave owners maintain their slaves. The act was part of the “Compromise of 1850” proposed by Henry Clay. The compromise was made to resolve disputes between the south and north about land and slavery. The south ended up having slavery allowed below the “36,30” and California joined in as a free state. In the 1840s there were many problems of runaway slaves to the North to become free men.
Slavery had led to a division in the United States. Northerners expressed the abolishment of slavery while the Southerners were in favor of it. During the 1850’s, the United States became polarized due to slavery sentiments on both sides and Congress passed Fugitive Slave Laws. Congress passed the fugitive slave laws in 1793 and 1850 to return slaves who had escaped from a slave state into a free state or territory. The ideology of the fugitive slave law was borrowed from the Fugitive Slave Clause in the United States Constitution (Article IV, Section 2, Paragraph 3).
The African Americans were “free” but were still being treated like slaves. They were given rights but had them taken away and were working for very little pay which was unfair compared to how whites were working for more. The blacks couldn’t even own a house or even rent unless they worked for a white man. They couldn’t even work unless it was for some white person or former owner. This is why reconstruction in the south after the civil war was a big
Fugitive Slave Act of 1793- it allowed masters or agents to pursue slaves over state lines and take them into legal custody, before a court. However, this did not stop the will of the slaves to escape, but made it a risky choice for them to take. This act allowed many people to be on the watch for slaves. Even those in the North would tell on an escaped slave.
While some sought to end slavery other tried to save the owner 's right to slaves. In 1793 and 1850 the fugitive slave act was instated. It helped give owners the return of runaway slave. The owners would stop at nothing to have their slave back. Sometimes owners would even have a bounty on them.
A few ways a slave could become free was to pay to be free, if the slave had the many they could actually be there freedom. Another way is if the owner of the slaves wants one to be a free slave he can also do
The Fugitive Slave Law increased the risk to Tubman's work. This gave commissioners power to remove or take fugitives from service or labor whether they escaped slavery or fled. Anyone found in violation of the law might be punished severely, including imprisonment and fines, for aiding a fugitive slave. It is said that all good citizens are hereby commanded to aid and assist in the execution of this slave law. People who escaped would be prevented from molestation.
During the time, it was dangerous for runaway and freed slaves due to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Freedom papers legally stated that a slave was no longer attached to the slave owner. Free slaves had the ability and almost the same rights as white men. Free slaves were counted as three-fourths of a person when it was time to vote. African Americans were always looking for a way to become free from slavery. African Americans became free by using the underground railroad to move North away from the South.
Also, many Texans believed that abolitionists were constantly trying to interfere with slavery. Abolitionists were always suspected of causing trouble, so as a result they had to be careful. The same story related to the supposed attempt of an African American child trying to blow up some houses in the Weekly Telegraph claimed that, it was likely that the African American child was helped out by white people. There were abolitionists in the town who willingly helped African Americans.
By using this reference, it illustrated the severity of the alienation of blacks in the Southern United States. In 1619, a Dutch ship “introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation”. The Africans were not treated humanely, but were treated as workers with no rights. Originally, they were to work for poor white families for seven years and receive land and freedom in return. As the colonies prospered, the colonists did not want to give up their workers and in 1641, slavery was legalized.