What time frame was it a crime to "aid and abet a runway slave" and what states?

Question

What were the penalties for aiding and abetting a runaway slave?

Answer 1

Also check the "Dred Scott decision."

Answer 2

Fugitive slave laws were federal laws, so they applied to all states, even those in which slavery was illegal.

Read the Constitution -- Article IV, Section II, paragraph 3.  Then do a web search on "fugitive slave laws" for more detail.

Answer 3

Basically from 1793-1863. The 1st Act was passed in 1793 it was strengthened by the Compromise of 1850 and a stronger Fugitive Slave Act. It was changed by Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freeing those slaves in those Southern States which rebelled and in 1865 the Fugitive Slave Act was overturned by the 13th amendment which abolished slavery.

     The penalty for violating the 1850 Act was a fine up to

     $1000 and 6 months in jail.

   The 1793 Act just gave people the right to seize their

    "escaped property" back and return it back to the rightful

     owners.

Hope that helps.

packers.