Answer:
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, enacted as part of the Compromise of 1850 between the southern slave states and the northern abolitionist states, implied that the rules of persecution and capture of escaped slaves from states south of the Mason-Dixon line would be tightened. Thus, the states to the north of said line should collaborate with the apprehension of these slaves and return them to the south, despite the fact that slavery in their territories was illegal.
These new directives caused enormous rejection in the north, where abolitionist groups were forced to collaborate with a system that they considered unjust, immoral and inhuman. Therefore, numerous protests and demonstrations were held against this law, as well as calls for civil disobedience and even the formation of clandestine groups to help fugitive slaves, such as the Underground Railroad.
