June 1854

On June 2, 1854, Anthony Burns — a self-emancipated Virginian — is marched through Boston under military guard to be returned to slavery, as 50,000 people line the streets in protest. The federal government spends $40,000 to enforce the rendition. The spectacle converts thousands of Bostonians to abolitionism. Burns is eventually purchased and freed in 1855.

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.

Federal troops march escaped Anthony Burns back to slavery through Boston — radicalizing the North against the Fugitive Slave Act.