(04.02 mc) how did people in the north react to the fugitive slave law? most accepted it as an unavoidable evil to achieve the compromise of 1850 and so followed the law. some refused outright to honor it, and some abolitionists actively helped runaway slaves to evade it. few tried to resist the law, and many actually spoke out against those who did as troublemakers and thieves. a majority openly denounced the law and found ways to support the underground railroad to canada.