Following increased pressure from Southern politicians, Congress passed a revised Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. Part of Henry Clay's famed Compromise of 1850—a group of bills that helped quiet early calls for Southern secession—this new law forcibly compelled citizens to assist in the capture of runaways.
One major pull factor that contributed to the population growth shown in the urban area of northern Illinois and Indiana was "<span>racial discrimination," since many blacks in the South fled to the North in the hopes of living better lives. </span>
