The Shadrach Minkins rescue

Boston's Vigilance Committee storms a courthouse to free Shadrach Minkins from federal custody under the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.

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The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Bostonians defied the new Fugitive Slave Act by freeing Minkins from federal custody.

Bostonians defied the new Fugitive Slave Act by freeing Minkins from federal custody.