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Travel Conditions
Many captured African-Americans were marched to the South on foot. The men were chained together to prevent escape, while the women and children tended to not be.

The African-Americans were generally well-maintained and well-fed in order to improve their viability in the slave market.

Black-Birders
Since colonial times in the United States, the Reverse Underground Railroad existed to capture free African-Americans and sell them into slavery, being particularly prevalent in the 19th century after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed. People of African and mixed ancestry commonly took part in these operations in order to make a living. Some worked under white employers, playing instrumental roles in deceiving fellow African-Americans and luring them into traps, while others pointed slave owners to the location of their escaped slaves to catch the bounty on the slave's head. The kidnappers were recorded to have acted against their own family members in addition to other members of their community. Their careers also tended to be long, due to African-Americans, particularly children, being more inclined to trust them than white people. Successful kidnappings mainly relied on the black-birders developing a connection to their target by using their shared racial and cultural identities. New York City and Philadelphia were particularly prominent places for these kidnappers to work, causing fear of being kidnapped by anyone to become prevalent.

Responses
Governments had difficulty in preventing kidnappings, even before the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The Pennsylvania Abolition Society compared records of apprehended African-Americans to try to free those who were wrongfully detained, kept a list of missing people who were potential abductees, and formed the Committee on Kidnapping. However, these efforts proved to be expensive, rendering them unable to work effectively due to their lack of sustainability.

Citizens, particularly free African-Americans, were active in lobbying local governments to adopt stronger measures against kidnapping. Due to the lack of effectiveness from these institutions, free African-Americans were frequently forced to use their own methods to protect themselves and their families. Such methods included keeping proof of their freedom with them at all times and avoiding contact with strangers as well as certain areas. Vigilante groups also formed to attack kidnappers, particularly those of color; kidnappers of color were universally condemned by the free African-American community.

Slave Catchers
By the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, slave catchers' jobs were made easier by the mandating of government officials to locate and prosecute runaway slaves, giving slave catchers more freedom to act under the law. With this law, slave catchers were reportedly able to gain warrants to apprehend those identified as fugitive slaves.

The Fugitive Slave Act strengthened abolitionist response against slave catchers, with abolitionist groups including the Free Soil Party advocating for the use of firearms to stop slave catchers and kidnappers, comparing it to the American Revolution. The 1850's saw a significant rise in violent conflicts between abolitionists and law enforcement, with large groups forming to counter activities that threatened fugitive slaves.

Fugitive Slave Law Responses
There was also a drive to migrate to Canada among fugitive slaves as well as free African-Americans who had already settled in northern states. The African-American population in New York City dropped by almost 2,000 from 1850 to 1855, while the black population in Canada was reported to swell from 4,669 to over 20,000, with an estimated 3,500 of them being fugitive slaves. Notable black publishers such as Henry Bibb and Mary Ann Shadd created publications encouraging migration to Canada. Other fugitive slaves traveled to California and migrated across the Pacific Ocean to find freedom.

The passage of the act galvanized abolitionists and abolitionist groups to defend fugitive slaves living in northern states, and protests and abolitionist publications abounded. If fugitive slaves were captured and put on trial, abolitionists worked to defend them in trial, and if by chance the recaptured slave had his or her freedom put up for a price, abolitionists worked to purchase it.

On the other hand, a large amount of business owners in the northern states supported the law due to their business ties to the southern states. They founded the Union Safety Committee and raised thousands of dollars to promote their cause, which gained sway particularly in New York City and caused public opinion to shift in support of the law.