How the Fugitive Slave Act lead to tension in the North and South

     The fugitive slave act had a significant amount of influence on the increasing tension especially in the north and south. The fugitive slave act required citizens to capture and return any runaway slaves. This not only angered the northern abolitionists but also northern citizens who were now being forced to show support of slavery. This act was one of several reasons and causes of the civil war.
     This act also left a lot of people often confused and questioning themselves. While this law legally required people to turn in runaway slaves, they knew it was morally wrong. If someone was caught helping a runaway slave they could be fined or imprisoned as well. This left several people in the north both angry and confused at the same time. Northerners were now being forced to make a choice between their morals and what the law said. If they assisted a runaway slave they would be fined or imprisoned. If they turned a runaway slave in they would most likely be going against their moral beliefs and values.
     From this act, the north and south experienced even more tension. It lead to several protests and violent acts. The southerners were completely on board with the fugitive slave act.  The northerners saw this as the federal government  stepping in on independent states and ultimately taking away states rights. However, several of the northern citizens fought back at the fugitive slave act by passing personal liberty laws. These laws ultimately nullified the fugitive slave act.  As a result, this allowed the state to arrest slave catchers for kidnapping runaway slaves.