
In the 1850s, it eventually became clear that no Northerner would be prosecuted for violating the Fugitive Slave Act. More and more people joined street brawls intended to give runaways a chance to evade slave catchers. (New York Public Library)
In the 1850s, it eventually became clear that no Northerner would be prosecuted for violating the Fugitive Slave Act. More and more people joined street brawls intended to give runaways a chance to evade slave catchers. (New York Public Library)