The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was even more dangerous than it’s usually taught. Whether free or enslaved, ANY Black person was in danger of being captured and enslaved.
Of course, there were few regulations on “slave catchers,” so scammers would travel the nation from North to South, kidnapping or tricking Black people with the promise of jobs. But our people didn’t just submit – resistance was clever and powerful.
#1: Community Agreements
Black communities banded together and promised that we would protect each other from white bounty hunters. If we ever got questioned, we would lie about the whereabouts of those escaping captivity, help them hide, or even physically fight.
#2: Physical Defense
There was no way our people were just going to be captured without putting up a fight. Harriet Tubman herself was renowned for her physical prowess and was always armed. In other words, would-be captors caught ancestral hands!
#3: Activism
Of course, we fought back by speaking out publicly against the laws, too. We led protests, gave speeches, and published books, even under the threat of being captured. Frederick Douglass, for example, influenced many by writing out his life story.
The law may have treated us as property at one time, but we defended ourselves by working together and creating spaces for liberation and safety. When we work together, we are much more powerful than oppression.