PRIMARY DOCUMENT

Fugitive Slave Clause, The Constitution of the United States (1787–1992)

CONTEXT

This clause of the U.S. Constitution‘s Fourth Article gives enslavers the right to seize enslaved people who escaped to free states. The clause was adopted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Author: Federal Convention
    Transcription Source: “Fugitive Slave Clause,” U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 accessed August 28, 2020, https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-4/section-2/clause-3

    FULL TEXT

    Clause 3. No person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.

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    APA Citation:
    Federal Convention. Fugitive Slave Clause, The Constitution of the United States (1787–1992). (2021, July 12). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/fugitive-slave-clause-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-1787-1992.
    MLA Citation:
    Federal Convention. "Fugitive Slave Clause, The Constitution of the United States (1787–1992)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (12 Jul. 2021). Web. 31 May. 2023
    Last updated: 2021, July 12
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