. The slaves also resisted by forming secret societies, where they could practice their African religions and where they could organize other ways to resist their slave masters. The runaway slave numbers increased and action increased. Slave owners in the south certainly weren't happy about the loss of "property". Too much money was being lost. This caused the south to pass the Fugitive Slave Act in 1793. This titled slaves as property of their owners and gave permission to the owners to retrieve runaway slaves anywhere in the states, even the states that were free states. It was known that a runaway slave would be found by bloodhounds, trained to find black slaves, then, the slave upon returning, would be executed or severely whipped. In 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was issued which made slavery illegal in the states that had rebelled and allowed black slaves to serve in the army and get jobs, or continue to work on plantations as employees making money. ...
