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= The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 =

Conception
The earliest laws and regulations regarding runaway slaves was found in 1629 in the Netherlands and other European countries. Then, in 1686 New Jersey lawmakers passed the first law that offered 20 shillings in exchange for turning in a runaway slave. Many other states followed in creating similar laws around this time in both the North and the South in order to prevent slaves from escaping to the North and Canada (Yale Law Journal).

Northern states still held negative attitudes towards slavery in the late 1780s and early 1790s and petitioned Congress to abolish slavery. However, Southern lawmakers argued slavery was driving a wedge between newly created states as they were forced to decide if they would be a free or slave state. Thus, the US was divided, and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was created in hopes of keeping the US together. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Acts resulted in many free blacks being illegally captured and sold into slavery (Yale Law Journal).

Road to 1850
After the Prigg v. Pennsylvania decision, which highlighted the power of the federal government over state judges, most Northern states and their citizens intentionally neglected enforcing the law. Due to this, Southern lawmakers sought a more aggressive change the current Act of 1793 that would ensure their slaves were returned. This was initiated during the time of the Underground Railroad that saw thousands of slaves being freed into Northern states (History.com).