Anthony Burns Rendition: Federal Army Returns Escaped Man to Slavery in Boston

Anthony Burns escaped slavery in Virginia and reached Boston in 1854. His recapture triggered a crisis: 50,000 Bostonians lined the streets in protest; abolitionists attempted a jail break in which a deputy marshal was killed. President Pierce ordered federal troops, marines, and artillery to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act. On June 2, a column of 1,500 soldiers escorted Burns to the docks as crowds booed, buildings were draped in black, and one sign read 'The Kidnapper's Road.' The federal government spent an estimated $100,000 to return one man to slavery. Burns was purchased from slavery by Boston abolitionists later that year. The spectacle converted tens of thousands of Northerners to active antislavery.