Apentix/AP US History/Unit 5: Period 5 (1844-1877)/Question
AP US Historymediummcq1 pt

Which of the following best explains how the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 intensified sectional tensions?

A.It required northern citizens to assist in capturing runaways and denied alleged fugitives a jury trial
B.It freed all slaves who reached free soil
C.It banned the interstate slave trade
D.It was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

Explanation

Core Concept

The law deputized ordinary northerners into slave-catching and let commissioners decide cases on summary evidence. Northern states answered with personal liberty laws, which the South read as defiance.

Correct Answer

AIt required northern citizens to assist in capturing runaways and denied alleged fugitives a jury trial

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