Because they reacted badly to the Fugitive Slave Act, which turned every citizen into an unpaid slave-catcher. And they had read 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', which was written as a protest against it. That novel had drawn attention to the Underground Railroad, the safe-house system that smuggled runawayslaves into Canada.
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∙ 14y agoIt required northerners to help recapture runaway slaves which was disliked either on moral grounds as it was for abolitionists but also in some reasons of fear of a Slave Power Conspiracy with the Southern Slaves States holding greater power over Congress than the North, many northerners in the mid 1800s believed many of the politicians in power were under the thumb of Southerners. This act in particular placed fines on people who would not cooperate and jail terms on people who helped fugitives escape. Also, southern slave catchers (aka federal marshals) roamed the North, sometimes capturing free African Americans with little regard for if they were free or fugitive slaves.
they resented federal intervention in the affairs of independent states
== == The Fugitive Slave Law required Northern citizens to help catch escaped slaves. But many Northerners hated the law as much as they hated slavery. They ignored it from the time it was passed by Congress. In this way, the Fugitive Slave Law increased the tension between Northerners and Southerners.
the army was short on men
fugitive slave lawsfugitive slave act
The Fugitive Slave Law was part of the Compromise of 1850. Its main provision required the return of runaway slaves. Their were penalties for those in northern states who aided escaped slaves.
The Fugitive Slave Law.
Some states passed personal liberty laws for runaway slaves.
== == That was The Fugitive Slave Act.
Some states passed personal liberty laws for runaway slaves.
Because it forced regular citizens to help capture runaway slaves, whether they wanted to or even agreed with slavery or not.
Northerners were most pleased that California was admitted as a free state. The south was pleased that the fugitive slave act REQUIRED assistance in capturing runaway slaves or face imprisonment.
It recruited many more Northerners to the Abolitionist cause, and inspired the Underground Railroad - the system of safe-houses by which runaway slaves were smuggled into Canada.
Northerners were most pleased that California was admitted as a free state. The south was pleased that the fugitive slave act REQUIRED assistance in capturing runaway slaves or face imprisonment.
The law made it a federal crime to aid runaway slaves and allowed the arrest of escaped slaves. Many northerners openly broke the law, angering slaveholders.
Northerners did not want the slaves to worry about unemployment like factory workers from the North.
Around the early 1800's the Northerners realized how bad slaves really were to keep. A lot of northerners still though it was fine to have slaves.
Northerners opposed the Fugitive Slacve law because they were against slavery, so they didn't want to help capture runaway slaves because they thought that if they had got away, then leave them alone. Besides it would make slavery worse in a way.