Personal Liberty Laws
Today in History: Joshua Glover Set Free; Nullification of Fugitive Slave Act
On this date in 1854, over 2,000 people gathered outside of the courthouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to demand the release of a runaway slave who had been captured and was going to be sent back south. When the powers-that-be refused, the mob broke Joshua Glover out of...
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and Nullification by Northern States
On September 18, 1850 – President Millard Fillmore signed the 2nd Fugitive Slave Act into law. In response to what might be one of the worst “laws” in the history of the country, all the northern states resisted and nullified the federal act. Path to...
Nullification vs the Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 counts as one of the most reprehensible laws in American history. But rather than wait for Congress to repeal it, or for the Supreme Court to strike it down, Northern States took action to nullify it in practice and effect....
Nullification vs Slavery: The Michigan Personal Freedom Act of 1855
TAC memberships help us produce more educational tools like this. Members can download this video and read the full transcript here. They don’t teach this in government schools. The Michigan Personal Freedom Act of 1855 defied the hated fugitive slave act and...