The Fugitive Slave Act was a law passed by the United States Congress in 1850 as a part of the Compromise of 1850, which aimed to ease tensions between slaveholding and non-slaveholding states. The act required that all escaped slaves, regardless of where they were caught, be returned to their owners. It also imposed heavy penalties on anyone who aided escaped slaves or refused to assist in their capture.

The Fugitive Slave Act was very controversial and had a significant impact on the lives of African Americans. It led to increased kidnappings and re-enslavement of free Black people in the North, as well as heightened fear and insecurity among the Black population. Many Black activists and abolitionists, such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, worked tirelessly to undermine this unjust law and assist escaped slaves in finding freedom in Canada or other safe havens.

The Fugitive Slave Act is seen as a stark reminder of the horrors of slavery and the lengths to which the government went to protect the institution of slavery. It also played a significant role in escalating tensions between the North and the South, ultimately leading to the outbreak of the Civil War.