1854 – Anthony Burns Arrest Sparks National Protest

On May 24, 1854, Anthony Burns, a fugitive slave living in Boston, was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act, triggering a wave of national protests. His arrest and trial captured national headlines, galvanizing Northern abolitionists and intensifying anti-slavery sentiment. Burns had escaped slavery in Virginia and found work in Massachusetts, but was captured due to federal enforcement of the law, which required escaped enslaved people to be returned to their owners. Thousands of Bostonians rallied for his freedom, and despite intense public pressure, he was sent back to slavery under heavy military guard. The incident exposed the brutal reach of slavery into Northern cities and helped fuel the growing abolitionist movement. His freedom was later purchased by supporters. Burns’ case remains a landmark moment in U.S. history, symbolizing the legal and moral battles that preceded the Civil War. His story highlights the courage and resistance central to Black history.