Constitutional Convention and Compromises · US History

The 'Fugitive Slave Clause' in the Constitution required that:

  1. Enslaved people who escaped to free states be returned to their owners
  2. Slavery be abolished in all northern territories
  3. The federal government pay a reward for the capture of every runaway slave
  4. States could not legally recognize any person as 'enslaved'
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Correct answer: Enslaved people who escaped to free states be returned to their owners

This was another concession to Southern delegates. It established a constitutional obligation for free states to assist in the return of property (escaped slaves), which became a major source of sectional tension in the mid-1800s.

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