Fugitive Slave on Trial

When runaway slave Anthony Burns was tracked to Boston, 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. This compelling chronicle of the case shows how the violent emotions surrounding it played out at both the local and national levels.