Although Illinois was established as a free state in 1818, federal laws enacted since 1793 permitted the recapture and return of runaway enslaved people within U.S. territory. Beginning in the 1830s, freedom seekers traveled toward the Chicago region, and as anti-slavery opinions strengthened, small groups of Black and white families decided to break the law to assist those escaping enslavement. Lewis Isbell, John and Mary Jones, and other Black abolitionists provided leadership in Chicago and worked with white abolitionists to provide support and accommodations for freedom seekers traveling through the area. The Joneses also helped lay the groundwork to repeal racist state laws that treated Black residents as second-hand citizens and controlled the migration of free Blacks into Illinois. After passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, conditions became far more serious because it imposed high fines on anyone helping freedom seekers, denied enslaved people the right to trial by jury, and made it easier for slave owners to file claims. Black and white activists worked across Illinois and along the Detroit-Chicago Road to strengthen Underground Railroad networks that helped freedom seekers navigate to safety. In the mid-19th century, Dutch immigrants seeking economic opportunity settled in what are now Roseland and Riverdale in Chicago and the village of South Holland. The Ton and Kuyper families' reasons for participating are uncertain, but their commitment to assisting enslaved Africans is well documented. Cornelius Kuyper dramatically deceived enslavers who came to his door, deliberately directing them away from freedom seekers hiding in his barns and nearby places. He assisted them to reach the farm of Jan and Aagje Ton on the Little Calumet River. From there, the Tons helped them cross the bridge over the Little Calumet River and often transported them by wagon to other activists at Hohman's Bridge in Hammond, Indiana. Because the Ton and Kuyper families were among the only Dutch immigrants who spoke English, they could collaborate with Black and white abolitionists and with freedom seekers to create safe places and help them travel along the Underground Railroad.