Passmore Williamson
Encyclopedia
Passmore Williamson was an abolitionist
in Pennsylvania
who is best known for a legal episode challenging the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
.
On July 18, 1855, while working for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
, Williamson helped Jane Johnson
and her two children (one 5 or 6, the other 11 or 12) escape enslavement from John Hill Wheeler who in 1855 was on a trip with his slaves from Washington, D.C.
, to Nicaragua
as an ambassador
. Williamson with a group of freemen
, including William Still
, forcibly took Wheeler's slaves from his possession and helped them to safety. When Wheeler tried to stop Johnson's escape, a minor scuffle ensued. That was enough to get all the participants charged with riot, forcible abduction, and assault.
Williamson, the secretary of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and a well-known public figure, was later convicted of contempt of court
by Pennsylvania District Court judge John K. Kane
and served a sentence between July 27 and November 3, 1855, in Moyamensing Prison
. While imprisoned, Williamson became a focus of the press, as northern publications spread the story throughout the country. Friends comfortably furnished his cell, and he received letters and several hundred visitors including both Frederick Douglass
and Harriet Tubman
.
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
who is best known for a legal episode challenging the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened...
.
On July 18, 1855, while working for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by James and Lucretia Mott in 1833.At the time, Pennsylvania was an openly racist state, withdrawing blacks' voting rights in 1838....
, Williamson helped Jane Johnson
Jane Johnson (c. 1813-1872)
Jane Johnson was an American-born slave whose escape to freedom was the focus of acrimonious and precedent-setting legal cases in 19th century Pennsylvania....
and her two children (one 5 or 6, the other 11 or 12) escape enslavement from John Hill Wheeler who in 1855 was on a trip with his slaves from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
as an ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
. Williamson with a group of freemen
Freeman (Colonial)
Freeman is a term which originated in 12th century Europe and is common as an English or American Colonial expression in Puritan times. In the Bay Colony, a man had to be a member of the Church to be a freeman. In Colonial Plymouth, a man did not need to be a member of the Church, but he had to be...
, including William Still
William Still
William Still was an African-American abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, writer, historian and civil rights activist....
, forcibly took Wheeler's slaves from his possession and helped them to safety. When Wheeler tried to stop Johnson's escape, a minor scuffle ensued. That was enough to get all the participants charged with riot, forcible abduction, and assault.
Williamson, the secretary of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and a well-known public figure, was later convicted of contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
by Pennsylvania District Court judge John K. Kane
John K. Kane
John Kintzing Kane was an American politician, attorney and jurist. Kane was noted for his political affiliation with President Andrew Jackson and for an 1855 pro-slavery legal decision dealing with the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.Kane was born in Albany, New York, the son of Elisha Kane and Alida...
and served a sentence between July 27 and November 3, 1855, in Moyamensing Prison
Moyamensing Prison
Moyamensing Prison was a prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed by Thomas U. Walter and completed in 1835.-History:The prison's cornerstone was laid April 2, 1832, and it was finished in 1835...
. While imprisoned, Williamson became a focus of the press, as northern publications spread the story throughout the country. Friends comfortably furnished his cell, and he received letters and several hundred visitors including both Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
and Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; (1820 – 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves...
.