Fugitive Slave Laws were laws that mandated the return of runaway slaves to their owners, creating a legal obligation for citizens to assist in capturing escaped enslaved individuals. These laws played a significant role in the enforcement of slavery in the United States, reflecting the legal and social foundations of the slave system that prioritized the property rights of slave owners over the human rights of enslaved people. They also heightened tensions between free and slave states, contributing to the growing sectional conflict leading up to the Civil War.
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