Image: Fugitive Slave Law warning poster, Boston African American National Historic Site, 1851. (e9414990d8d040e9b4242985516987e1)

Description: On September 18, 1850, the Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress. This law allowed US Federal Marshals to take fugitive slaves from northern states regardless of established jobs, families or property. This law also put anyone aiding a fugitive at risk because if caught they would be fined $1,000 (which is roughly $28,000 today) and face 6-months of jail time. The Fugitive Slave Law led to mass protest by many northerners who believed that the influence of the slave power of the federal government was overwhelming. Because of this, cities like Boston began to utilize vigilante justice as an avenue of resistance. Militant abolitionism led to fugitives being rescued, armed patrols in the streets and the death of federal marshals. As Frederick Douglass stated in 1852: "The only way to make the Fugitive Slave Law a dead letter is to make half a dozen or more dead kidnappers." Keywords: fugitive slave law; slave law; fugitive; frederick douglass; slave; compromise of 1850; slaves; slave power
Title: Fugitive Slave Law warning poster, Boston African American National Historic Site, 1851.
Credit: NPGallery
Author: Unknown authorUnknown author
Permission: This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1927.
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No