>> fergus borgowich, a good friend of mine who is an underground railroad scholar, has written a book "bound for canaan," i think the best book written about the underground rail read in years. and fergus is currently working on a book about the great debate of 1850. in 1850 southerners were so upset with abolitionist activities and underground railroad actions that one of the key components of the compromise of 1850 was a much stronger anti-slavery fugitive slave law. the first fugitive slave law was passed by congress in 1793, the same year that the cotton gin was patented, i always thought there might be a connection, but a much stronger fugitive slave law was passed in 1850 by the united states congress, signed by president fillmore. this came as a body blow to abolitionists. people who had been involved with the anti-slavery movement considered this a very real setback. it also made many of them very, very angry, and in many ways, i believe that between 1850 and the time the civil war breaks out the effect of that fugitive slave law was to instill into abolitionists a higher degr