The Jerry Rescue: The Fugitive Slave Law, Northern Rights, and the American Sectional Crisis

by Angela F. Murphy

This compelling micro-history explores how the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 affected fugitive slaves, free blacks, abolitionists, and northern white citizens. The Jerry The Fugitive Slave Law, Northern Rights, and the American Sectional Crisis is a narrative of the events surrounding the arrest of William "Jerry" Henry on October 1, 1851. Jerry, who thought he was to be charged with a minor infraction committed in Syracuse, went peacefully with the officials who arrested him; but he soon realized that he was in far more trouble than they had indicated. They were detaining him under the provisions of the recently passed Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, and federal officials intended to hold a hearing to determine whether Jerry would remain a free man in New York or if he would be sent to the slave state of Missouri as the property of John McReynolds, who claimed Jerry as his slave. Because of the actions of a variety of individuals in Syracuse, that hearing was
abruptly cut short and Jerry was forcibly removed from the custody of his captors. The Jerry Rescue provides an absorbing narrative of the events that the arrest of Jerry set in motion, illuminates the motives and concerns of those who were involved in those events, and places the story in the wider context of the American sectional crisis. Examining such topics as northern defiance of the Fugitive Slave Law, the growth of sectional tension in the United States, antislavery debates about how best to attack the institution of slavery, black and white cooperation in the movement to end slavery, and the question of northern states' rights, The Jerry Rescue is eminently rich with historical details, clarity, and objective analysis.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

216 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2014

Reviews

[Hannah Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the local history - grew up in Syracuse, New York where the Jerry Rescue took place - investigating more about the monument in Clinton Square https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/A... has been sitting on the proverbial back burner for a - - while. So when I saw that there was a book available about the incident, I knew it had to be added to my reading list.

Certainly there is a great deal of information about the individual Jerry, his escape from slavery shortly after his master moved to Missouri, his travels to the north and finding a job as a carpenter and cooper in the central New York city of Syracuse. His master selling him in absentia to another who sends slave-catchers to return him. The brutal and terrifying experience as he hopes for help from the abolitionists that enable his escape from a cell and into Canada where he died 2 years later.

But Murphy also goes into the development of the abolitionist movement and notable groups and figures in the years leading up to the focusing incident - October 1, 1851 - along with the northern states passing personal liberty laws and forbidding the usage of state personnel and jails for the return of slaves. The federal response which became the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 - seriously, it seemed due to the South throwing a temper tantrum as the North refused to cooperate in sending fugitive slaves back to their masters. The disputes regarding which territories requesting admission into the Union were pro- or anti-slave as the Union can't have a new anti-slave without a pro-slave one or the balance of power in Congress would shift away from whichever adherents. Missouri was only allowed in due to Maine being admitted. The South would repeatedly threaten to leave the Union if the North and Congress didn't - basically - do what they wanted. Unfortunately, they had a habit of declaring the topic was part of a state's rights instead of the federal government when it suited them and the reverse at other times.

Anyway, back to Syracuse and Jerry's rescue. Those involved - well, some of them anyway since there were hundreds involved in breaking Jerry out of the jail - were indicted for treason (which was easily overturned as they were not involved in overthrowing the federal government or organizing an army to do the same). Even the marshal that was hired to convey Jerry back to Missouri was arrested and tried for violating NYS private liberty laws. In the end, only a handful of trials were actually conducted and no one was convicted of anything.

The situation between the two factions continued to deteriorate especially with the passing of the Kansas Nebraska Act which let residents of the territory decide on the issue of slavery which in turn, turned quite bloody. The rise of the Republican Party developed with the intent of blocking slavery in new states while the plight of those already in slavery seemed inconsequential to their future goals.

And it was only a few years later that the the relationship between the North and the South shattered and descended into a Civil War which still ripples across the United States today.

Definitely a book that should be on the reading list of those interested in the Civil War and the causes leading up to it. And just as definitely on the list of critical points in Black American history.

2023-037

[Una · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book despite it being required as an assignment for class. There were a lot of facts and details, but the book read very easily and without confusion. I am not sure if Jerry's story was as interesting as some other characters that were in the book, but it was definitely a nice way to give the narrative an emotional touch. :-)

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

True story of Jerry, a slave who escapes from Missouri and attempts to live the life of a free man in Syracuse, N.Y. On Oct. 1, 1851, a slave catcher had him arrested by federal officials. He was snatched from his place of employment and roughly dragged before a federal commissioner charged with enforcing the recently passed Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. The law forced all officials and private citizens in the free states to assist in the re-enslavement of fugitives or face charges themselves. The book details how the nation attempted to deal with the increasingly contentious issue of slavery through the 1850s. Although the Southerners said slavery was a state issue, they denied the right of a free state to ignore the Fugitive Slave Law and were pleased to have the full force of federal authority on their side. Anti-slavery forces in Syracuse are able to help Jerry escape to Canada, but in other Northern cities fugitive slaves are captured and returned to their masters, often with the direct involvement of the U.S. military. These actions caused many Northerners indifferent to the plight of slaves to become sympathetic.