Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Poets involved
What happened
Passed as part of the Compromise of 1850, this federal law required all citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denied alleged fugitives the right to a jury trial. Enacted in Washington, D.C., it outraged Northern abolitionists and free Black communities, who viewed it as a violation of civil liberties. The act intensified anti-slavery sentiment and fueled the Underground Railroad's efforts to smuggle enslaved people to freedom.
Literary impact
The Fugitive Slave Act galvanized abolitionist poets such as John Greenleaf Whittier, who wrote scathing verses condemning the law's injustice. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'A Curse for a Nation' criticized America's hypocrisy in proclaiming freedom while enforcing bondage. The act also inspired countless anonymous broadside poems and songs that circulated in Northern newspapers, making poetry a key medium of resistance.
Source: Wikipedia
