On September 18, 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act as part of the Compromise of 1850. The law required citizens and officials in free states to assist in the capture and return of escaped enslaved people. It denied alleged fugitives the right to a jury trial and increased penalties for those who aided runaways. The act outraged many Northerners, strengthened antislavery sentiment, and encouraged more active participation in the Underground Railroad. It also deepened sectional tensions that eventually led to the Civil War.
