Fugitive Slave Act

ID: 2590 | This file appears in: "Eliza's House": Home of John Van Zandt
When the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 passed, the debate over slavery in the United States heightened. This political cartoon was published in 1851 by an artist who strongly opposed the Act. Opponents of the Act are represented on the left side of the cartoon, with abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and an unnamed Black man defending a Black woman from the slave catchers on the right, one of whom is pictured riding on the back of Secretary of State Daniel Webster.

The portrayal of the African Americans in this cartoon is extremely unusual for the time. Instead of conforming to common negative beliefs about Black slaves, the man and woman embody the era's ideals of white manhood and womanhood. The man is dignified and noble as he protects the woman, who is feminine and submissive.

For additional analyses of this cartoon, check out the following links: https://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Beauty/threats.htm https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661534/. | Date: 1851 | Source: Courtesy of the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661534/
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Source

Courtesy of the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661534/

Date

1851
"Fugitive Slave Act" appears in: "Eliza's House": Home of John Van Zandt