Final answer:
The Fugitive Slave Act increased tension in Baltimore, leading to opposition and violence due to its requirement for citizens to capture fugitives, denial of trial rights, and the perceived federal overreach, which intensified antislavery sentiment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Fugitive Slave Act had a profound impact on the people of Baltimore and the broader northern United States. It mandated that all citizens assist in the capture of fugitive slaves and imposed heavy fines and prison sentences on those who aided in their escape or refused to assist federal agents. This federal law also denied fugitive individuals the right to a jury trial and the right to testify in their own defense, potentially sending free blacks back into slavery based on the claims of purported owners. The act increased tensions between the North and South, leading to instances of violence, such as the Baltimore riot of April 1861. Northerners, who were largely opposed to slavery, viewed the act as an overreach of federal power and an imposition on states' rights, intensifying antislavery sentiment and resistance to the act's implementation.