Kramer, Peter, Artist. 'Conquering prejudice,' or "Fulfilling a Constitutional duty with alacrity" / P. Kramer. , ca. 1851. [Philadelphia: Publisher not identified] Photograph. https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsca.94290/.
This cartoon would pair excellently with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The Fugitive Slave Law is portrayed indirectly in the novel through the character of Jim, a runaway slave. Jim's escape and Huck's decision to help him are central to the novel's exploration of themes like freedom and the tension between society's laws and personal ethics. The story reflects the law's impact as Jim is a fugitive, and his status as a runaway slave makes him vulnerable to being captured and returned to his owner under the Fugitive Slave Act.
From the LoC website:
“Print in response to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act shows a stereotyped African American woman with a child screaming and running from Daniel Webster, who is performing the "disagreeable duty" of chasing them with a slave catcher, who is relieved by Webster's viewpoint that disunion is worse than slavery, and two dogs; a church and courthouse are in the distance.” (Summary from the Library of Congress Summary on Item Description).
- The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was a significant law during a time of growing sectional tensions over slavery. Part of the Compromise of 1850, it aimed to appease southern states by enforcing the return of runaway slaves to their owners, even if they had escaped to free states in the North. The law mandated that all citizens, regardless of their state, were required to assist in the capture of fugitives, and it established harsh penalties for those who aided runaway slaves. The act fueled abolitionist resistance in the North, as it not only infringed upon personal freedoms, but also expanded the reach of slavery into free states.
- Daniel Webster, a senator from Massachusetts, supported the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 as part of his broader commitment to preserving the Union. He believed that the law was a necessary compromise to prevent the dissolution of the Union. Webster was opposed to the expansion of slavery, but he saw the Fugitive Slave Act as essential for maintaining national stability. His support for the law angered many Northerners who viewed it as a betrayal of the fight against slavery.
- Who are the people in the picture?
- What are they doing?
- Why are they doing it?
- What does "alacrity" mean? How does the title demonstrate irony?
- What is the creator's opinion of the Fugitive Slave Law?
Iowa Academic Standards
RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
- Examining a central idea of a political cartoon and deciphering the central idea depends largely on a reader’s experiences. Identifying one central idea separate from the experiences a reader brings is an important step.
Anchor Standard-Reading-6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Everything from facial expression to background materials is open to a point of view, and again, context and personal background will affect the reading of any political cartoon. Teachers need to keep that in mind when asking about a visual’s point of view.
- Teachers could lead the study of this source using the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Guide for Political Cartoons. This could help students with understanding the response of some Americans to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
- Students can observe, reflect, and question the source using the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool. They could follow up with researching one or more of the slave states and create a scale of more dangerous to less dangerous to create their own visual about the trials of living in a slave state in 1850 or another year the teachers or student chooses.
- While reading the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, studying this cartoon might aid students in understanding Huck's choice to help Jim, as well as the societal pressure imposed upon him to turn Jim into the authorities. Students could compare Mark Twain's viewpoint on slavery as expressed through the novel to Daniel Webster's viewpoint as depicted in the cartoon.
Some may be opposed to the political nature of the source. Some also may be uncomfortable with the stereotyped depiction of the African-American woman or distressed by the presence of a child running from slave catchers with dogs. The source discusses historical events that may be interpreted as too political for children in the middle grades.
- The source has nine different primary sources in the blog post, and these Fugitive Slave Ads in Newspapers provide a realistic understanding of the nature of the Fugitive Slave Act. Students can examine the actual language of ads placed in newspapers of the time. This factual source may be preferred to the more fanciful portrayal of the political cartoon.
- The National Archives provides background on the Fugitive Slave Act.
- The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum provides this unit plan for teaching the novel in historical context.