Passage of Fugitive Slave Act

Date: September 18, 1850 • Location: Shaw, United States

The United States Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, decreeing that all escaped slaves be brought back to their masters.

The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both meet in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.