Christiana Resistance

E917006

Christiana Resistance was an 1851 armed anti-slavery uprising in Christiana, Pennsylvania, in which Black residents and abolitionist allies defied the Fugitive Slave Act by resisting the capture of escaped enslaved people.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf armed anti-slavery uprising
historical event
resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act
alsoKnownAs Christiana Riot NERFINISHED
cause attempted capture of escaped enslaved people
enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
chronologicalContext pre–American Civil War era
commemoratedBy Christiana Underground Railroad Center at Zercher’s Hotel NERFINISHED
historical markers in Christiana, Pennsylvania
country United States of America
surface form: United States
date 1851-09-11
describedIn Frederick Douglass’s writings on resistance to slavery
William Parker’s 1866 Atlantic Monthly narrative
followedBy increased abolitionist activism in Pennsylvania
hasTheme Black self-defense
conflict between federal law and moral opposition to slavery
resistance to slave catching
legalAftermath United States v. Castner Hanway et al. NERFINISHED
treason trials in federal court in Philadelphia
location Christiana, Pennsylvania NERFINISHED
mainParticipants Black residents of Christiana
Edward Gorsuch NERFINISHED
Frederick Douglass (indirectly, through advocacy and later writings) NERFINISHED
William Parker NERFINISHED
abolitionist allies
escaped enslaved people
slave catchers
notableDefendant Castner Hanway NERFINISHED
William Parker NERFINISHED
opposed Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 NERFINISHED
outcomeOfTrials acquittal of Castner Hanway
dropping of remaining treason charges after first acquittal
partOf antebellum conflicts over slavery in the United States
precededBy passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
relatedTo American abolitionist movement
Underground Railroad NERFINISHED
history of African-American resistance to slavery
result death of slaveholder Edward Gorsuch
federal treason indictments against participants
injury to several participants
significance became a symbol of armed Black resistance to slavery
galvanized Northern opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act
heightened sectional tensions before the American Civil War
state Pennsylvania
tookPlaceIn Lancaster County, Pennsylvania NERFINISHED
year 1851

Referenced by (1)

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Jerry Rescue case hasRelatedEvent Christiana Resistance