The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened Northern fears of a 'slave power conspiracy'. It declared that all runaway slaves be brought back to their masters. This law is clearly an act of sectionalism. It is basically declaring that the slaves are not free if they have escaped to the North, and not only that but if you harbor a fugitive slave then you become a fugitive of the law. This made the North extremely angry, and was a huge factor in the starting of the Civil War.
