Final answer:
The Fugitive Slave Act was seen as an overreach of federal authority because it mandated all citizens to enforce the law, imposed harsh penalties for non-compliance, and deprived individuals escaping slavery of their legal rights, while appearing to bolster a 'Slave Power' conspiracy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Fugitive Slave Act was often regarded as an overreach of federal authority due to several reasons. This federal law required all citizens to aid in the capture of fugitive slaves, imposed heavy fines and prison sentences on those who helped escaped enslaved people or refused to enforce the law, and deprived alleged fugitives of a chance for a fair trial. It also exposed the hypocrisy of southerners' appeal to 'states' rights' when they used the power of the federal government to enforce slavery. The law was thus perceived as facilitating a "Slave Power" conspiracy where a minority of elite slaveholders exercised undue influence over U.S. domestic policy.
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