The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 | Becoming Frederick Douglass

Contributed By

Resource Type

Keywords

Frederick Douglass slave experience abolitionism Fugitive Slave Law slave traders runaway slave vigilante Maryland Public Television MPT Becoming Frederick Douglass African Americans slavery enslaved people Library of Congress LOC Primary Source Analysis Tool primary sources primary source analysis Fugitive Slave Act 1850 slave life fugitive slaves slave rendition fugitive slave rendition slave states free states Southern states border states slave catchers slave hunters bounty hunters Abolitionist Movement Abolitionism Antebellum Era Antebellum Period ideologies pro-slavery ideology anti-slavery ideology Civil War activism anti-slavery activism justifiable violence necessary violence

Subjects

History-Social Science

Grade Levels

Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12

Audience

Classroom Teacher / Educator

Related Resources

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 | Becoming Frederick Douglass

The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act empowered the Federal Government to get involved in the business of recapturing slaves who ran away to Northern states. It represented a last-ditch effort for wealthy and well-connected slave owners to hold onto the bondage of slavery. This clip explores the impact of demands made by Southern slave-holding states on Federal legislation and the freedom of African Americans in the North.

Explore the documentary film clip and engage students in historical thinking using the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool. In this inquiry-based resource for Becoming Frederick Douglass, students view a clip explaining the impact of the enactment of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, analyze primary sources and differing points of view from the era, and consider discussion prompts for more dialogue and deeper reflection.

Publisher

PBS Learning Media