As part of the
Compromise of 1850, the federal government was required to appoint commissioners whose job would be to catch runaway slaves in the North and return them to their owners in the South. The provisions worked against the presumed slaves and were strongly biased in favor of the presumed owners. The law brought the reality of
Slavery to the attention of many northerners. Some states passed laws aimed at preventing the implementation of the law. Although the
Supreme Court ruled that the law was constitutional, it added to support for the
Abolitionist Movement and led ultimately to both the
Civil War and the abolition of all slavery.
