The original Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1793. One of the things that was stated in it was that slave owners were allowed to search for their slaves fleeing to states that did not believe in slavery. When a slave (or a person suspected of being a slave) was arrested, the people (or person) would go to court to have the slave returned to its owner. If enough evidence was provided, slaves were returned to their owners. This law also made it so that anyone who helped slaves in any way, such as hiding them, had to pay a $500 fee. Many people, especially those in the Northern states, disagreed with this law. People in the Northern states felt like their land was being used by bounty hunters. They also didn't like the fact that as people took free African Americans as slaves, it was felt like this act led to the legalization of kidnapping. Some people who disagreed with this law created groups to help rescue slaves and even created housing for them to safely escape to areas where slavery was illegal. Since the Northern states weren't enforcing the law anyway, they tried...