Proof copy of the first printing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
date: label: Date
content: 1850
name: label: Created by
content: United States Congress, American, founded 1789
label: Printed by
content: Thomas Ritchie, American, 1778 - 1854
notes: label: Description
content: Proof copy of the first printing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 consisting of a single sheet of U.S. Government-issued blue stock paper folded quarto to form four pages and printed in black ink. At top a handwritten inscription reads [U.S. Congress. / Fugitive Slaves Act.] The printed text begins [AN ACT / TO AMEND, AND SUPPLEMENTARY TO, THE ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT RESPECTING FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE / AND PERSONS ESCAPING FROM THE SERVICE OF THEIR MASTERS," APPROVED FEBRUARY TWELFTH, ONE / THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE.].
label: Description
content: In the body, there are two annotations handwritten in black ink -correcting "B it enacted" to "Be it enacted," and "courts of United States" to "courts of the United States."
place: label: Place depicted
content: United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Fugitive enslaved
label: Topic
content: Government
label: Topic
content: Law
label: Topic
content: Politics
label: Topic
content: Self-liberation
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1815-1861
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Books and Published Materials
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2009.14.4
objectType: label: Type
content: laws
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 9 3/4 x 7 11/16 in. (24.8 x 19.5 cm)