What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 require of all citizens?

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The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required all citizens in helping Southern slaveholders acquire their slaves back. If they refused to comply, they could be fined or put in jail. Slaves that escaped from their owners often fled to the North and some were helped, an example is the Underground Railroad. This law was passed due to hopes of plantation owners of regaining their slaves or "property" back, but most Northerners chose to ignore it, which infuriated them.

- S0L

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