Slave owners continued to push for increased property rights protections in the case of fugitive slaves. Two unsuccessful attempts were made one in 1801 another in 1817 during a climate of backlash to the Fugitive Slave Laws of 1793. Most states passed anti-kidnapping laws that criminalized the practice. The 1817 attempt to strengthen their positions would have allowed them arrest warrants and certificates of removal from state judges. This would have put northern judges and other officials in the position of agency in behalf of southern states.
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