"There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory,otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted: Provided,always,That any person escaping into the same,from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any one of the original States,such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or service as aforesaid." How did the authors of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 intend states in the new territory to deal with fugitive slaves from other states?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The language in the ordinance clearly states that if a person is lawfully claimed as a slave in one of the original states, they may be lawfully reclaimed and returned to their owner, meaning that fugitive slaves would be returned to their owners rather than allowed to live freely or become property of another individual in the territory.

"There Shall Be Neither Slavery nor Involuntary Servitude in the Said