Question

Which of the following provisions was NOT part of the Fugitive Slave Laws?

A. Accused fugitives could not testify on their own behalf in a trial by jury
B. Required everyone no matter where in the US, they lived to help capture and return escaped slaves
C. People caught helping fugitive slaves faced fines or prison time
D. Fugitive slaves would be legally granted freedom if they made it to northern states

Answer 1

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 did not include a provision that fugitive slaves would be legally granted freedom if they made it to northern states; in fact, it required citizens to assist in recapturing escaped slaves regardless of where in the US they were found.

Step-by-step explanation:

The provision that was NOT part of the Fugitive Slave Laws is D. Fugitive slaves would be legally granted freedom if they made it to northern states. According to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a component of the Compromise of 1850, accused fugitives did not have the right to a jury trial nor could they testify on their own behalf. The law required all citizens to assist in the capture of fugitive slaves or face consequences such as fines and imprisonment. It also empowered U.S. Marshals to deputize citizens to aid in the retrieval of fugitive slaves. This law applied even in northern states, which had no provisions offering freedom to escaped slaves simply on the basis of reaching northern territory.