Fugitive Slave Laws were laws passed in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries that required the capture and return of escaped slaves to their owners. They were part of a series of laws aimed at supporting and maintaining the institution of slavery.
Related terms
Compromise of 1850: A set of laws passed by Congress in an attempt to maintain a balance between free states and slave states, which included provisions strengthening fugitive slave laws.
Kansas-Nebraska Act: An act passed in 1854 that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether or not they would allow slavery within their borders, leading to violent conflicts known as 'Bleeding Kansas.'
Dred Scott Decision: A Supreme Court decision in 1857 that declared enslaved Africans or African Americans were not U.S. citizens and therefore had no rights, effectively strengthening the power of slaveholders.