Article 4, Section 2, paragragh 3, of the United States Constitution, which was repealed by the 13th Amendment in order to Free the Slaves, reads;

"No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, But shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due."

Clearly the terms "Service or Labour" can have many meanings. While they can be clearly applied to the institution of Slavery, I am wondering if such restrictions were ever upheld in the courts system in the case of the Northern Factory workers. They were forced to work for less than a living wage, required to live in company housing paying the company rent for the privilege, and purchasing their goods from the company store at higher than normal prices so that they had to buy what they needed on credit.

These factory workers were not allowed to quit their "jobs" if they were indebted to the company. If they did, I wonder what legal action was taken to see that those workers repaid their debts? I wonder if they to were ever "delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due."

This clause says nothing exclusive to only the Black slaves, althought they would be the obvious primary example today.