The Fugitive Slave Law

The Fugitive Slave act was the runaway slaves that were escaping out of the south, black slaves who escaped even free black men was sent back to slavery to whoever was their owner. That's was the legal rights, under the fugitive slave law the  runaway law was to stand in trial in front of a special commissioner. It was not a jury or judge, if the commissioner would be paid $10 if the fugitive will be sent back but only $5 if the fugitive will be sent freed. Many of the northern people seen this as an opportunity to sent all of the black citizen back to slavery. Any person who tried to free a slave or tried to interfere with capturing a slave will be subject to a heavy fine and imprisonment. Alot of people in the south was outraged, it convinced thousand of northerners that it should be barred from the western territories. They made another law passed on for the fugitive slave law, it was personal liberty it extended the rights in the jury to the runaway slave. They provided the slave with committees to protect them from hired kidnapper who was searching for black fugitive in the north. 15,000 free blacks emigrated to Canada, Haiti, the British Caribbean, and Africa.
Source :http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=328
Picture Source: http://www.continuinged.ku.edu/kt/session1/discussion.html - in the picture it was a wanted poster for the escaped slave and the reward for his capture.