Question

What was the legal status of escaped enslaved people in the Northwest Territory?

Answer 1

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 appeared to outlaw slavery, which meant that slavery was not allowed in the Northwest Territory. However, the passage of the Fugitive Slave Laws meant that slaves who escaped from one state to another one would have to be returned to their owners, even if found in a free state. Therefore, escaped enslaved people in the Northwest Territory were not necessarily considered to be free.

Answer 2

They were technically free. But the Fugitive Slave Laws said that any escaped slave must be returned. So if they were caught they had to go back.