The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was a controversial law passed by the United States Congress as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act was designed to strengthen the institution of slavery by providing slave owners with legal mechanisms to capture and return escaped slaves who had fled to free states or territories.

The Fugitive Slave Act required that all escaped slaves, when captured, be returned to their owners, even if they were found in a free state where slavery was illegal. It also denied escaped slaves the right to a jury trial and allowed for the arrest and punishment of anyone who aided a fugitive slave.

This law incited widespread anger and resistance among abolitionists and free Black communities in the North, who saw it as a gross violation of human rights. It also led to increased tensions between the North and South, ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.

The Fugitive Slave Act highlighted the deep divisions over slavery in the United States and the lengths to which pro-slavery forces were willing to go to preserve their way of life. It also played a significant role in the eventual abolition of slavery and the fight for civil rights for Black Americans in the years that followed.