Shadrach Minkins Rescued from Federal Custody in Boston

Shadrach Minkins, a Virginia-born freedom-seeker, was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act. Black Bostonians led by Lewis Hayden stormed the courthouse, overpowered federal marshals, and escorted Minkins to Montreal. President Fillmore called it 'treason.' The rescue became a celebrated symbol of organized Black collective defiance.