Which clause addresses the escape of enslaved people to other states?

• A. Importation Clause.
• B. Separation of Powers.
• C. Fugitive slave clause.
• D. Statute.

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is the Fugitive Slave Clause, which directly addresses what happens when an enslaved person escapes to another state. This clause requires that a person held to service or labor who escapes to another state must be surrendered to the person to whom that service or labor is due, allowing the enslaver to reclaim them. It’s codified in the Constitution (Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3) and is the provision that established the obligation to return escaped enslaved people across state lines, shaping tensions between free and slave states and informing later federal fugitive slave laws. The Importation Clause deals with prohibiting the importation of slaves from abroad, not with escapes. Separation of Powers is about how government powers are divided, not about escaped individuals. A general Statute is any law, but the specific constitutional provision that governs escapes across state lines is the Fugitive Slave Clause.