The antislavery groups were protesting the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law required the return of escaped slaves to their owners, and the quote they shouted at federal agents was "Shall law stop guiltless breath?" in reference to their opposition to enforcing such an unjust law.
A citizen who helped a runaway slave under the Fugitive Slave Act could be fined or imprisoned for aiding a fugitive slave. The act required citizens to assist in capturing and returning escaped slaves to their owners.
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 made it easier for slave owners to recover escaped slaves, causing tensions to rise between abolitionists and supporters of slavery in the South. While it did disrupt antislavery progress by making it more difficult to aid fleeing slaves, it also fueled the abolitionist movement in the North and heightened awareness of the unjust treatment of slaves.
The Fugitive Slave Act made it illegal for anyone to assist or harbor a fugitive slave, and mandated that law enforcement officials in free states capture and return escapees to their owners in slave states. Anyone found guilty of aiding a fugitive slave could be fined or imprisoned.
Because it included the Fugitive Slave Act, which forced ordinary citizens to report anyone who looked as though they might be a runaway slave. This was meant to provide moral support for slave-owners, in exchange for allowing California to enter the Union as free soil.
fugitive slave lawsThe Fugitive Act
a violent clash beetween proslavery and antislavery forces.
Fighting between proslavery and antislavery activists in Kansas
Fighting between proslavery and antislavery activists in Kansas
Fighting between proslavery and antislavery activists in Kansas
The antislavery groups were protesting the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law required the return of escaped slaves to their owners, and the quote they shouted at federal agents was "Shall law stop guiltless breath?" in reference to their opposition to enforcing such an unjust law.
California was to be admitted as a free state.
The Fugitive Slave Act was a pro-slavery part of the Compromise of 1850.
A citizen who helped a runaway slave under the Fugitive Slave Act could be fined or imprisoned for aiding a fugitive slave. The act required citizens to assist in capturing and returning escaped slaves to their owners.
The Fugitive Slave Act forced many people to consider the pros and cons of slavery in the United States. The effect of the Fugitive Slave Act was the freeing of slaves.
The Fugitive Slave Act forced many people to consider the pros and cons of slavery in the United States. The effect of the Fugitive Slave Act was the freeing of slaves.