Practical illustration of the Fugitive Slave Law / E.C. del. Boston Massachusetts South Carolina, 1851. [Boston?: s.n] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661534/.
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.
This print is a satire on the antagonism between northern abolitionists on the one hand, and Secretary of State Daniel Webster and other supporters of enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Here, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison (left) holds a slave woman in one arm and points a pistol toward a burly slave catcher mounted on the back of Daniel Webster. (from the Library of Congress).
- 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 who also served as Secretary of State, 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.
- William Lloyd Garrison was a significant American abolitionist and journalist known for his fiery advocacy against slavery. He was a staunch critic of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, which mandated that escaped enslaved people be returned to their enslavers, even if they had reached free states. Garrison viewed the law as a blatant violation of human rights and an immoral measure that further empowered the institution of slavery in the United States. He believed it compelled northern citizens to participate in the oppression of Black people, and he called for active resistance against the law.
- Who are the people in the picture?
- What are they doing?
- Why are they doing it?
- How does the cartoon demonstrate satire?
- 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.
- There are three copies of the print at the link, and each print shows the same depiction, but with varying degrees of clarity. It would be a strong use of this standard to ask if the central idea shifts due to the varying clarity of the print.
Anchor Standard-Reading-6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
- Asking students how the artist’s point of view is revealed in the photograph will yield a discussion that will show mastery of 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. This could then move to a discussion of race, glass, gender, and socio-economic status at the time of the Fugitive Slave Act to allow students to see a full picture of who is depicted in the print.
- 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.
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A modern connection would be to use an excerpt of the novel James by Percival Everett, National Book Award winner 2024.
Some may be opposed to the political nature of the source. Some also may be uncomfortable with the violence depicted in the cartoon, including the noose, chains, whip, and pistol. It is possible that the depiction of the African-American woman being saved by the white male does not adequately represent the agency of many Black people who actively fought against the law. The source discusses historical events that may be interpreted as too political or too violent for children in the middle grades.
- The source Fugitive Slave Ads in Newspapers provides a realistic understanding of the nature of the Fugitive Slave Act by featuring 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.
- This letter from Susan B. Anthony could be a way to introduce the problems the slaves are experiencing as they are being compared to the rights women are striving for in America.
- The National Battlefield Trust has all sections of the act on their website, and this source could be used for language analysis for grades 10–12.
- History.com has videos, primary sources, and commentary about the Fugitive Slave Act, as well as Supreme Court cases that feature this act.