Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was written to replace the old Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. The original Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 enforced the return of runaway slaves, but if a slave reaches free soil with intent to live there permanently then they are considered to be free. It required the return of slaves from free soil back to their slaveholders if they did not leave without permission from their masters. However the new Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was stricter as it would fine officials who fail to recapture a suspected slave. It rewarded anyone who return a slave or gave information of suspected runaways. However, the north ignores this implemented law and did not follow along. Thus, creating more tension between the north and south and a reason why the law was one of the major factors leading to the Civil War.