The Fugitive Slave Act was passed twice in U.S. history:
- The first Fugitive Slave Act was passed by Congress in 1793. It was enacted to fulfill the U.S. Constitution requirement to return escaped slaves and allowed slave owners to seize and arrest runaway slaves and required their return upon proof before a judge. Assisting runaway slaves was made a crime with a penalty of a fine.
- The more stringent and controversial Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed by the 31st United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850. This version required officials and citizens of free states to cooperate in the capture and return of escaped slaves and imposed harsher penalties on those who assisted fugitives or obstructed their capture. It heightened tensions between the North and South leading up to the Civil War.
Thus, the Fugitive Slave Acts were passed in 1793 and then again in 1850.
