What did free people in the US who thought slavery was wrong typically think of "illegal" resistance to slavery before the Civil War? Did abolitionists tend to think that slaves were justified in attempting escape or (violently) resisting their captors? Or did most believe that the rule of law was more important?
Was the prevailing attitude "I hope slaves fight like hell," or "lawbreaking is still wrong, they should wait for the law to change?"
I imagine this might be difficult to answer, as public figures might feel compelled to condemn illegal action to avoid personal legal consequences, regardless of beliefs... perhaps private letters have been surveyed?
This [previous answer] (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fdyw8i/were_antebellum_personal_liberty_and_free_soil/) by u/secessionisillegal to Were antebellum "Personal Liberty" and "Free Soil" laws in Northern states technically unconstitutional? handles the topic wonderfully, covering the personal liberty laws passed in northern states that circumvented or nullified the Fugitave Slave Act of 1793, which resulted in a strengthening of it in 1850 and the resulting re-establishment of liberty laws to work within the new constraints of the Compromise of 1850 as well as some folks that just did what they thought was right, allowing a man to escape to Canada and be free for the rest of his life.