The full content of this document is only available to subscribing institutions. More information can be found via www.amdigital.co.uk
If you believe you should have access to this document, click here to Login.
| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC09028.04 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of documents relating to U.S. Marshal, Watson Freeman |
| Title | Watson Freeman to James Buchanan asking to be reappointed as U.S. Marshall [copy] |
| Date | March 1857 |
| Author | Freeman, Watson (fl. 1850-1857) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Copy of Watson's letter to Buchanan asking to be reappointed as U.S. Marshal. References his service as marshal for the last four years. Describes the case of fugitive slave Anthony Burns. "...the people of Boston, who witnessed the battering down the door of the Court House, & the murder of one of my deputies, standing by my side, by a mob of two thousand abolitionists in their attempt to rescue from my custody the Slave Burns." States he did not leave his post for eight days and that he has received anonymous death threats. Mentions that his father, a merchant in Boston, invested all his money in government securities. |
| Subjects | Fugitive Slave Act Abolition African American History Law Slavery Runaway Slave President |
| People | Freeman, Watson (fl. 1827-1857) Buchanan, James (1791-1868) |
| Theme | Slavery & Abolition; African Americans; The Presidency; Law; Government & Politics |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Freeman was the U.S. Marshal of Massachusetts charged with enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act. Anthony Burns was the property of Charles Suttle of Alexandria, Virginia. Burns escaped slavery and fled to Boston. Suttle tried to reclaim Burns and Freeman, as U.S. Marshal, arrested Burns, enraging abolitionists. A mob descended on the courthouse where Burns was being held and attempted to free him. In the melee, a deputy was killed. Burns was convicted on 2 June 1854 and sent back into slavery. A few months later, a black Boston church raised the money to purchase his freedom. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |