Imagine that an alien ship has landed in your community. You are captured and transported to a place

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• Imagine that an alien ship has landed in your
  community. You are captured and transported to a
  place unlike anything that you have ever
  experienced. You dont understand anything about
  their geography or culture. You are enslaved.
  You think about escaping. Make a list of
  possible obstacles that you would face if you
  decided to actually attempt an escape.
• Obstacles to overcome

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Background InformationFugitive Slave Act of
1850PowerPoint developed by S. Apple and J.
Lampron
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• The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the group of
  laws referred to as the Compromise of 1850

Source The Nystrom Atlas of United States History
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• In this compromise, California became a free
  state and the slave trade, but not slavery
  itself, was abolished in the District of Columbia
• Slavery was allowed in the newly organized
  territories of Utah and New Mexico
• A new Fugitive Slave Act increased penalties for
  assisting runaway slaves

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• Even though this compromise was passed, no one,
  especially the abolitionists, were happy

Source Library of Congress
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• The Underground Railroad became even more active
  once the law was passed
• A network of over
• 3,000 stations helped
• enslaved people to
• escape to northern
• states and Canada

Harriet Tubam
Source http//www.mdslavery.net/html/flight/freei
ndex.html
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Focus Question What was the cost of freedom for
American slaves who wanted to escape after 1850?