The captive's quest for freedom : fugitive slaves, the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, and the politics of slavery / R.J.M. Blackett, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.
2018
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Details
Title
The captive's quest for freedom : fugitive slaves, the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, and the politics of slavery / R.J.M. Blackett, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.
Imprint
New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Copyright
©2018.
Description
1 online resource.
Series
Slaveries since emancipation.
Formatted Contents Note
Part I. The slave power asserts its rights. The Fugitive Slave Law
The law does its work
Compromise and colonize
Part II. Freedom's fires burn. Missouri and Illinois
Western Kentucky and Indiana
Eastern Kentucky and Ohio
Southeast Pennsylvania
Eastern shore of Maryland and Philadelphia
New York
Massachusetts
Conclusion.
The law does its work
Compromise and colonize
Part II. Freedom's fires burn. Missouri and Illinois
Western Kentucky and Indiana
Eastern Kentucky and Ohio
Southeast Pennsylvania
Eastern shore of Maryland and Philadelphia
New York
Massachusetts
Conclusion.
Summary
This magisterial study, ten years in the making by one of the field's most distinguished historians, will be the first to explore the impact fugitive slaves had on the politics of the critical decade leading up to the Civil War. Through the close reading of diverse sources ranging from government documents to personal accounts, Richard J.M. Blackett traces the decisions of slaves to escape, the actions of those who assisted them, the many ways black communities responded to the capture of fugitive slaves, and how local laws either buttressed or undermined enforcement of the federal law. Every effort to enforce the law in northern communities produced levels of subversion that generated national debate so much so that, on the eve of secession, many in the South, looking back on the decade, could argue that the law had been effectively subverted by those individuals and states who assisted fleeing slaves.
Location
WWW
Available in Other Form
Print version: Blackett, R. J. M., 1943- Captive's quest for freedom. New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 2018
Access Note
Access restricted to subscribing institutions.
Linked Resources
Alternate Title
Cambridge Core.
Language
English
ISBN
9781108275439 (electronic book)
1108275435 (electronic book)
9781108418713
1108418716
9781108407779
1108407773
1108275435 (electronic book)
9781108418713
1108418716
9781108407779
1108407773
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