Question

choose the best answer.
what was the purpose of the fugitive slave laws?
these laws required enslaved people who escaped captivity to be returned.
these laws required enslaved people who escaped captivity to be freed.
these laws required enslaved people who escaped captivity to be imprisoned.

Explanation:

Fugitive slave laws were federal laws in the U.S. designed to enforce the return of enslaved people who had escaped to free states or territories, protecting the property claims of enslavers.

Answer:

These laws required enslaved people who escaped captivity to be returned.