The captive's quest for freedom: Fugitive slaves, the 1850 Fugitive slave law, and the politics of slavery

Abstract

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. Re-examines the political significance of the Fugitive Slave Law Analyzes the ways in which the actions of slaves influenced local and national politics Provides a new take on the slave's concept of freedom, widening our view of the antislavery movement by placing slaves at the center of discussion.