The Christiana Riot
Sadsbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The 1850 federal Fugitive Slave Act strengthened the position of slaveowners seeking to capture runaways. Pursuing four escaped slaves, Maryland farmer Edward Gorsuch arrived Sept. 11, 1851, at the Christiana home of William Parker, an African American who was giving them refuge. Neighbors gathered, fighting ensued, and Gorsuch was killed. This incident did much to polarize the national debate over the slavery issue.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In September 1851, the new Fugitive Slave Act collided with a determined free Black community in the Lancaster County countryside. When a Maryland slaveholder came to seize men who had escaped bondage, neighbors rallied to the home of William Parker, and in the violence that followed the slaveholder was killed. The resulting treason trials drew national attention and hardened opinion on both sides of the slavery question.
Why it matters
The Christiana Resistance showed that ordinary Black and white neighbors would defy federal law to protect freedom, pushing the nation another step toward civil war.
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Related people
- · William Parker
- · Edward Gorsuch
Related events
- · Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
- · Christiana Riot
Themes & tags
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