page_title: Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
hierarchical_section_title: Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
context_page_description: The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave-holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers.
  The Act was one of the most controversial elements of the 1850 compromise and heightened Northern fears of a "slave power conspiracy". It required that all escaped slaves, upon capture, be returned to their masters and that officials and citizens of free states had to cooperate. Abolitionists nicknamed it the "Bloodhound Bill," for the dogs that were used to track down runaway slaves.
  The Act contributed to the growing polarization of the country over the issue of slavery, and is considered one of the causes of the Civil War.
context_section_description: The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave-holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers.
  The Act was one of the most controversial elements of the 1850 compromise and heightened Northern fears of a "slave power conspiracy". It required that all escaped slaves, upon capture, be returned to their masters and that officials and citizens of free states had to cooperate. Abolitionists nicknamed it the "Bloodhound Bill," for the dogs that were used to track down runaway slaves.
  The Act contributed to the growing polarization of the country over the issue of slavery, and is considered one of the causes of the Civil War.
caption: An April 24, 1851 poster warning the "colored people of Boston" about policemen acting as slave catchers.
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