The Fugitive Act was a controversial act that in retrospect affected all African-Americans, free, enslaved, northern or southern. The Act contained a provision for the return of any person held to service labor in one state who escaped to another. (Book) In other words, it allowed slaveholders to go to the north and bring back slaves to work on their plantations.
The potential effects it had on fugitive slaves, is that they were forced to work all over again and that their journey was a waste. Also they probably received cruel punishments, because their master's had to travel to find them, and they probably lost money in the process. Fugitive slaves probably had to leave families in the north behind so that they could return to work.
Effects it had on free slaves, they probably were appalled that loved ones were being taken back to a life that they escaped from. Also free slaves had to probably prove that they indeed had a right to freedom, and some might have been forced to work even though they were indeed free. (Discussion).
The south was happy that their property was being returned, so they could make a profit again. The South had the upperhand in the government, but they were mad that the North kept interfering when they tried to bring slaves back, so they insisted on stricter fugitive slave laws. The South only had to swear to a commissioner that the slave was his, commissioners weren't hesitant to give slaves back, because they got ten dollars, for every slave returned, so they encourage people to help apprehend slaves. (Book).
The North was not particularly pleased with the Fugitive Slave Act and they did everything in their power to oppose it. Theodore Parker headed a committed in Boston that very openly violated it; they overpowered federal marshals and took runaway Shadrach from a courtroom, but him on the Underground Railroad, which took him to Montreal, Canada. (Lecture) Northerns also helped slaves get to the Underground Railroad, and provided them with necessary supplies for their voyage further into freedom.
