Ohio History Journal

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THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW

in the Eastern Ohio Valley

by LARRY GARA

The fugitive slave law of 1850 was an essential part of the sectional compro-

mise of that year.1 As such it had ramifications that went far beyond the

mere question of returning runaway bondsmen to their southern claimants.

At times the symbolic significance of the enactment overshadowed its real

impact on the lives of those whom it touched. Nevertheless there were some

Americans of the 1850's who viewed the law as concerned primarily with

the return of fugitive slaves, and some later historians have also accepted

that point of view. "This law," said the Pittsburgh Gazette in October of

1850, "was doubtless drawn up with only one specific object in view--that

of recapturing and returning to his owner, in the most summary manner,

the fugitive slave." Calling attention to the law's harsh nature, the editorial

continued, "In the pursuit of this object the most sacred rights, and the

simplest dictates of human wisdom, were overlooked and disregarded."2

NOTES ARE ON PAGES 170 171