On September 11, 1851, at Christiana, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the African-American community rose up in arms against attempted enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. While attempting to save four men from the federal posse charged to re-enslave them, rioters killed the Maryland farmer who was trying to reclaim his "property."
African American Resources at Lancaster County Historical Society.
Summary
The book details the events leading up to and following the " Christiana Riot " in 1851. African Americans in Christiana, Pennsylvania, repulsed the efforts of a Maryland slave owner to capture escaped slaves. The encounter resulted in the death of the slave owner and the trial for treason of several men. The charges were based on the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which required citizens to assist in the return of escaped slaves to their owners. No one was convicted in the trial. The book states that "the Christiana resistance ranks with the Nat Turner uprising as one of the major episodes in black American history and the history of black-white relations. Along with John Brown's raid it was a harbinger of the Civil War. "
