Fugitive Slave Act of 1793

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: Compare the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. What circumstances changed that made the later law supposedly necessary?
• 2.: How was the Fugitive Slave Act an outgrowth of the U.S. Constitution’s tolerance of slavery? What circumstances led to the passage of this act?
• 3.: What impact did international events relative to slavery have on the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act?
• 4.: What actions did some states, particularly in the North, take to circumvent the Fugitive Slave Act? How effective were those actions?
• 5.: Compare this document with the 1842 Supreme Court case Prigg v. Pennsylvania. On what basis did the Court uphold the constitutionality of the Fugitive Slave Act?