Fugitive slave on trial
Subtitle: the Anthony Burns case and abolitionist outrage
By: Earl M. Maltz
Series: Landmark law cases & American society
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Lawrence, Kan
Language: eng
Number of pages: 174
ISBN-13: 9780700617357; 9780700617364
Description: "When runaway slave Anthony Burns was tracked to Boston by his owner Charles Suttle, the struggle over his fate became a focal point for national controversy. Boston, a hotbed of antislavery sentiment, provided the venue for the 1854 hearing that determined Burns's legal status, one of the most dramatic and widely publicized events in the long-running conflict over the issue of fugitive slaves. Earl Maltz's compelling chronicle of this case shows how the violent emotions surrounding it played out at both the local and national levels, focusing especially on the awkward position of trial judge Edward Loring. A unionist who also supported enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, Loring was committed to the idea that each individual case should be decided by reference to neutral principles, which ultimately led him to remand Burns to Suttle's custody despite the firestorm of protest that immediately engulfed that decision"--P. [4] of cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The problem of fugitive slaves, 1787-1841; title: Prigg v. Pennsylvania and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850; title: Massachusetts responds; title: Anthony Burns : escape, capture, and failed rescue; title: The rendition hearing; title: The verdict; title: Return to bondage; title: The fate of Anthony Burns; title: The fate of the rescuers; title: Loring under attack; title: The Personal Liberty Law of 1855 and the removal of Edward Loring.