On This Day
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Escaped slave Anthony Burns is arrested by US Deputy marshals in Boston under the Fugitive Slave Act

Anthony Burns (May 31, 1834 – July 17, 1862) was an African-American man who escaped from slavery in Virginia in 1854.

Anthony Burns (May 31, 1834 – July 17, 1862) was an African-American man who escaped from slavery in Virginia in 1854. His capture and trial in Boston, and transport back to Virginia, generated wide-scale public outrage in the North and increased support for abolition.

Burns was born enslaved in Stafford County, Virginia. As a young man, he became a Baptist and a "slave preacher" at the Falmouth Union Church in Falmouth, Virginia. He was frequently hired out by his master and learned to read and write in his various assignments. In 1853, he escaped from slavery and reached the free state of Massachusetts. He started working in Boston.

The following year, he was captured under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and tried in court in Boston.

Historical Significance

Anthony Burns (May 31, 1834 – July 17, 1862) was an African-American man who escaped from slavery in Virginia in 1854.

Events Before

  1. The first practical horse-drawn fire engine in the US enters service

    The first practical horse-drawn fire engine in the US enters service

  2. Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il trovatore" (The Troubadour) premieres in Rome

    Il trovatore ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the Spanish play El trovador (1836) by Antonio...

  3. Emperor and French President Napoleon III marries Eugenie de Montijo, Countess of Teba

    Eugénie de Montijo was Empress of the French from her marriage to Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until he was overthrown on 4 September 1870.

  4. Piano company Steinway & Sons is founded by Heinrich Steinweg (later Henry Steinway) in New York City

    Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway ( ), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in New York City by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E.

  5. Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata" premieres at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy

    La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.

Events After

  1. British preacher and Salvation Army founder William Booth (26) weds British Salvation Army co-founder Catherine Mumford

    British preacher and Salvation Army founder William Booth (26) weds British Salvation Army co-founder Catherine Mumford (26) at Stockwell Green Congregational Church in Surrey, England

  2. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart (22) weds Flora Cooke in Fort Riley, Kansas

    Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart (22) weds Flora Cooke in Fort Riley, Kansas

  3. Scottish explorer David Livingstone becomes the first European to see Mosi-oa-Tunya waterfall, which he christens as Vic

    Scottish explorer David Livingstone becomes the first European to see Mosi-oa-Tunya waterfall, which he christens as Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River in Barotseland, Africa (now Zambia and Zimbabwe)

  4. Clipper "Guiding Star" disappears in Atlantic, 480 dead

    Clipper "Guiding Star" disappears in Atlantic, 480 dead

  5. First bridge over the Mississippi River in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, opens; today known as the Father Louis He

    First bridge over the Mississippi River in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, opens; today known as the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge

More from the 1850s

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Alice Mary Robertson is born

Alice Mary Robertson, American politician, known for american politician, was born on 1854-01-02.

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Tim Keefe is born

Tim Keefe, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1857-01-01.

City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582

National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 24, 1854?
Anthony Burns (May 31, 1834 – July 17, 1862) was an African-American man who escaped from slavery in Virginia in 1854. His capture and trial in Boston, and transport back to Virginia, generated wide-scale public outrage in the North and increased support for abolition. Burns was born enslaved in Stafford County, Virginia.
Why is Escaped slave Anthony Burns is arrested by US Deputy marshals in Boston under... significant?
Anthony Burns (May 31, 1834 – July 17, 1862) was an African-American man who escaped from slavery in Virginia in 1854.

Explore More

May 24 in HistoryYear 1854