According to Foner (2014), the United States of America and slavery had a long history. The history of slavery and the slave trade dates back to 1619, when African slaves were brought to the Jamestown colony in North America. The main purpose of the slave trade was to boost America's economy through which slaves provided free labor on farms and plantations. Slavery became the norm in America during the 17th and 18th centuries, in both the North and the South. Following the invention of cotton in 1793 which resulted in the growth of slavery in America, particularly in the South, because it was considered an important engine of the economy. Some parties have strongly criticized the idea of ​​a painful path to erasing it, causing the formation of myriad anti-slavery movements. The lack of qualities supporting slavery leads to fugitives from slavery causing the formation of various fugitive slave acts. In this regard, this discussion aims to ascertain how the Fugitive Slave Acts caused the division between North and South America. The Fugitive Slave Acts were but two federal laws that sought to capture and return fugitive slaves to the states and territories of the United States.” Courts of the United States shall from time to time expand the number of commissioners, in order to provide reasonable facilities for recover fugitives from work” (Digital History, 2012). The first Fugitive Slave Act of 1783 gave unlimited power to local government to seize fugitive slaves and return them to their owners. Furthermore, the law provided a heavy penalty for those who aided the escape of slaves. This law came at a time when most northern states strongly opposed ideas about slavery and wanted it completely erased (Digital History, 2012). The aversion to… middle of paper… the argument that the war ended with the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Acts.ReferencesDigital (2014). The impending crisis. The Fugitive Slave Law. Digital History ID 3276. Retrieved October 10, 2015, from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook_print.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3276Digital History (2012). The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Digital History. retrieved October 14, 2015, from Foner, E. (2014). Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History. New York; London: WW Norton & Company Hopkins D., (2014). Reflections on the causes of the war. Digital History ID 401 1861. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=401Roper M., (2014), Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper ( London, 1837). Digital history. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=501