Legal Definitions - fugitive-slave laws

Definition: Fugitive-slave laws were federal laws passed in 1793 and 1850 that required the return of escaped slaves who had fled to a free state or territory.

Example: If a slave escaped from a plantation in Virginia and made it to Pennsylvania, which was a free state, the Fugitive-Slave Law of 1850 required that the slave be returned to their owner in Virginia.

Explanation: The Fugitive-Slave Laws were designed to protect the property rights of slave owners and ensure that escaped slaves could not find refuge in free states or territories. These laws were controversial and often led to conflicts between abolitionists and slave owners, as well as between free states and slave states. The example illustrates how the law worked in practice, requiring the return of escaped slaves to their owners even if they had made it to a free state.