On November 13, 1850, the Vermont legislature passed what it called the “Habeas Corpus Law,” in response to President Millard Fillmore’s signing of the “Compromise of 1850.” The Vermont bill effectively nullified the “Compromise,” a series of laws which further entrenched the fugitive slave laws, and imposed even greater burdens on the states and their people. Unwilling to assist in the apprehension and extradition of slaves seeking emancipation in the Free states, Vermont’s legislature intervened on behalf of its citizens and anyone seeking freedom in the Green Mountain State.
