The Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850, which aimed to resolve the issue of slavery in the newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War. The Act required that all escaped slaves, no matter where they were in the United States, be captured and returned to their owners. It also denied fugitive slaves the right to a jury trial and allowed for the arrest of anyone suspected of being a runaway slave.

The Fugitive Slave Act was deeply unpopular among abolitionists and free Black communities in the North, as it forced them to participate in the capture and return of escaped slaves. It also increased tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery. Many free Black individuals were at risk of being captured and returned to slavery under this law, leading to resistance and defiance in Northern states.

Despite the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, many escapees were aided by abolitionists and members of the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses and routes that helped slaves escape to freedom in the North or in Canada. The Act was eventually repealed with the end of the Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States.